April 10, 2020

Anna Murray 

In Yemen, the supreme national emergency committee for COVID-19 announced on April 10 its first confirmed case of Coronavirus. The infection case was identified as a Yemeni working within the port of Ash Shihr, the southern oil-producing area of Hadhramout.

The infected person reportedly remains in stable condition under medical treatment which authorities have taken obligatory measures. However, the first outbreak of the Coronavirus case in Yemen has raised fears of catastrophic consequences in a healthcare system that has been crippled by the civil war between the Saudi led coalition and the Houthi movement since 2014.

Meanwhile, the Saudi-led coalition had announced on April 9 to halt military operations for two weeks. It is unclear whether the Houthi movement will agree to stop fighting. By far, the 5-year conflict has already had more than 100,000 people killed and led millions to the brink of famine. If the Coronavirus pandemic spreads out in Yemen, it is estimated at least half the population is much degraded to the risk of death.

Photo:Webshot.