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Coronavirus in Iran, Gulf states and Middle East

A video reportedly filmed at a cemetery in Iran shows rows and rows of black body bags lined up on the floor, waiting to be buried.

Some have been there for five or six days, says a mortuary worker, a claim that cannot be verified. But it hints at a wider truth - that Iran's death toll has been far higher than acknowledged.

According to official statistics, more than 60,000 people in Iran have contracted the virus and about 4,000 have died. But a group of Iranian researchers in the US believes the real figures to be much higher.

The model developed at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology estimate that as many as 15,000 people have died.
 
About 74 million people in the water-scarce Arab region are at a greater risk of getting Covid-19 because they lack access to a basic hand-washing facility, the UN has warned. About 87 million people also lack access to a drinking water source in their homes, which forces them to collect water from a public source and exposes them to contagion

The authorities in Qatar rounded up and expelled dozens of migrant workers after telling them they were being taken to be tested for Covid-19, according to Amnesty International. The human rights group interviewed 20 men from Nepal who said they were apprehended alongside hundreds of others in March. The men alleged they were held in detention centres in appalling conditions for several days, before being put on planes. Qatar said officials had “uncovered individuals engaged in illegal and illicit activity”

In Iran, for the second day in a row, the daily number of deaths has fallen below 100. The health ministry said that 94 people had died in the past 24 hours, bringing the overall death toll to 4,777
 
Some 74 million people in the water-scarce Arab region are at greater risk of catching the novel coronavirus because they lack a sink or soap at home, the United Nations said Wednesday.

This includes 31 million people in Sudan, more than 14 million in war-torn Yemen and 9.9 million in Egypt, a UN report said.

"While it has been agreed worldwide that hand-washing with soap and water is the best prevention against COVID-19 contagion, this simple act proves to be difficult in a region where 74 million people lack access to a basic hand-washing facility," the UN's Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia said.

"Refugees and people living in conflict areas or under occupation bear an additional burden," it added.

An estimated 26 million refugees and displaced people are at greater risk of contracting the illness region-wide, as they lack adequate access to water and hygiene services, ESCWA said.

"It is urgent to ensure access to clean water and sanitation services to everyone everywhere, at no cost for those who cannot afford it, in order to avoid further spread of the coronavirus," ESCWA Executive Secretary Rola Dashti said.

About 87 million people in the region also lack access to drinking water at home, forcing them to collect it from a public source and similarly threatening their health, the UN agency warned.

In a region where 10 out of 22 countries have insufficient piped water supply, more hand-washing was likely to increase household demand by four million to five million cubic metres, it said.

https://www.france24.com/en/20200415-74-mn-in-arab-world-lack-hand-washing-facility-un
 
Iran says virus deaths below 100 for second day

Iran has said that new deaths from the novel coronavirus remained in double figures for the second day in a row, as the country gradually reopens its sanctions-hit economy. However, the virus deaths were lower than 100 for the second day in a row, according to AFP.

Health ministry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour said 94 deaths from the Covid-19 disease were recorded in the past 24 hours, bringing the overall toll to 4,777.

Another 1,512 people tested positive for the illness. That took the total number of infections to 76,389, Jahanpour said, noting that 49,933 of those hospitalised had recovered and been discharged.
 
People in Dubai now need an electronic move permit to step out of their homes

People in Dubai now need an electronic move permit issued by police through their website before they can step out of their homes amid a coronavirus lockdown.

The permit is valid for 24 hours and a new one has to be reissued every time a person needs to leave their house. People can only leave for "essential" trips such as those to the grocery store, pharmacy or a hospital.
 
Jordan will ease lockdown by allowing more businesses to open: PM

Jordan’s Prime Minister Omar al Razzaz said on Wednesday the government would soon ease a tight lockdown imposed to stem the spread of new coronavirus by allowing more businesses and industries to return to work.

However, it will not yet lift a curfew imposed nearly a month ago that restricts the movements of Jordan’s 10 million people and imposes total shutdowns during weekends, Razzaz said.

The curfew came days after the monarch enacted an emergency law that gave the government powers that restrict civil and political rights and sent more than 60,000 troops and police across the country to enforce the new laws.

The prime minister said the new measures could also include allowing people to move more freely in some regions outside the capital, but he said they could be rescinded if Jordan sees a further rise in cases of the coronavirus.

“At any point we see more cases our duty would be to reconsider these steps,” Razzaz said, referring to Jordan’s 401 confirmed cases and seven deaths.

Officials are worried the crisis, which has hit hard the $5 billion-a-year tourism sector, a main source of foreign currency, will slash growth projections and deepen an economic downturn in the debt-dependent economy.

The government has allowed only food and dairy industries and some export-oriented industries such as pharmaceuticals, potash and phosphates to continue some of their operations.

Workers in small businesses are feeling the impact of the crisis, with no income flowing in since the lockdown that has brought many sectors of the economy from construction to public works to a standstill

The resumption of work will help some of the tens of thousands of workers who have been without work since the lockdown.

Economists say loss of income would deepen poverty among a significant number of the population and raised the spectre of social unrest.

Many businessmen have also been lobbying to get their companies reopened, warning of bankruptcies and layoffs in a prolonged lockdown.

Jordan, which secured a $1.3 billion IMF reform programme last month, is seeking extra donor aid to help it cushion the impact of the crisis, Finance Minister Mohammad Al Ississ said last week. [L5N2BW0EB]

The government earlier this week extended closure of public offices, schools and universities until the end of this month. The kingdom has also closed its land borders with Iraq, Syria, Israel and Saudi Arabia and stopped all international flights.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...wing-more-businesses-to-open-pm-idUSKCN21X2KO
 
Doctors tackling coronavirus in Egypt have told the BBC they are worried about shortages of protective equipment, and feel their concerns are not being taken seriously enough.

But the government says supplies are sufficient, and a doctor at one quarantine hospital said medics there had been able to secure extra masks quickly.

As of Wednesday, the Middle East's most populous country had seen 178 deaths from the virus. According to the World Health Organization, about 13% of those infected in Egypt are healthcare workers.
 
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The number of infections in Iran rose by 1,606 in the past day to reach 77,995, Kianush Jahanpur, a spokesman for the country's health ministry said.

The country's official death toll from the outbreak rose by 92 to 4,869. Iran has suffered more deaths than any other Middle Eastern country.

But footage of large numbers of bodies at a morgue in Qom, the city at the centre of Iran's outbreak, suggest the country is struggling to deal with the numbers of dead.

There are fears the true death toll could be far higher than official figures.
 
UAE to extend visas for Pakistani workers, provide opportunities for virtual employment

The United Arab Emirates minister for human resources while talking to the prime minister's aide for overseas Pakistanis Zulfiqar Bukhari has assured that the country will extend visas for Pakistani workers in the UAE, according to the ministry spokesperson.

The minister further added that Pakistanis would be provided opportunities for virtual employment on a "priority basis". He also thanked Pakistan for "maintaining full contact and extending support".
 
GENEVA (Reuters) - Coronavirus outbreaks across the Middle East threaten to shatter the lives of millions of already destitute people in conflict zones, and could fuel socio-economic upheaval, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said on Thursday.

Curfews and lockdowns imposed as public health measures to stem spread of the virus are already making it difficult or impossible for many to provide for their families, it said.

The Geneva-based agency called for authorities in the volatile region to prepare for a “potentially devastating aftermath” and a “socio-economic earthquake”.

“The Middle East is today facing the twin threats of potential mass virus outbreaks in conflict zones and looming socio-economic upheaval. Both crises could have severe humanitarian consequences,” Fabrizio Carboni, ICRC director for the Near and Middle East, said in the statement.

In an interview, he told Reuters that the aftermath of the epidemic could be worse than the disease itself, “because on top of the conflict, on top of the violence, they will have to deal with the socio-economic consequences of the pandemic. And it’s really scary,” he said at a largely empty ICRC headquarters.

SUPPLIES FOR PRISONS IN SYRIA, IRAQ

Millions already lack health care, food, water and electricity in conflict-hit countries where prices are rising and infrastructure damaged, the ICRC said.

Millions of Syrians displaced in their homeland and refugees who have fled to Lebanon, Turkey and Jordan are especially vulnerable, as are people in Yemen, where a Saudi-backed coalition has declared a ceasefire in a five-year old conflict.

Carboni said that the ICRC had provided its first hygiene kits and protective material for 10 central prisons in Syria that are run by the interior ministry.

Overcrowding and conditions would make it hard to contain any outbreaks, he said. “We are in dialogue with authorities to expand the support to all places of detention.”

Throughout Syria’s conflict now in its 10th year, health infrastructure and personnel have been “deliberated targeted”, which “weakens the collective response” to COVID-19, he said.

“Water projects need to function, pumping stations just can’t stop functioning. Millions of Syrians are totally dependent on food distribution, you can’t stop this,” Carboni added.

“It is true in Syria but it’s true in many countries affected by conflict, you need to work on both sides - the COVID emergency and the humanitarian assistance.”

Protective equipment including disinfectant has also been donated to health facilities and places of detention across Iraq, the statement said.

In Yemen, where fighting between a Saudi-backed government and the Houthis who control the capital has driven millions of people to the brink of starvation, the ICRC said: “Our life-saving support to hospitals, clinics and dialysis centres now includes help with their COVID-19 prevention preparations.”

Half of Yemen’s health facilities are out of order and frontlines hamper movement, especially near Marib where there is “very active violence and conflict,” Carboni said.

The ICRC was not able to supply intensive care units or ventilators in Yemen, he said, noting that even facilities in the West struggle in outbreaks when they are available.

The ICRC regional budget this year is 565.5 million Swiss francs ($585.34 million), more than a third for Syria.

The worst coronavirus outbreak so far in the Middle East is in Iran. The ICRC has donated around $500,000 to the Iranian Red Crescent but has a comparatively small role there, a country with no conflict or major refugee crisis.

https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-h...al-across-middle-east-red-cross-idUKKCN21Y1BF
 
Tunisia arrests two for trying to infect police with virus

Tunisia said on Thursday that two men, including a suspected member of a jihadist network, had been arrested over an alleged “terrorist” plot to infect security force personnel with coronavirus, AFP reports.

The suspected jihadist is accused of having used his influence over supporters displaying symptoms of the virus, the interior ministry said in a statement.

The other accused, who was already under surveillance and required to report regularly to a police station, said that he was told to deliberately cough everywhere to contaminate officers during his visit, the ministry said.

The two men were arrested on Monday in Kebili in southern Tunisia, according to National Guard spokesman Houssem Eddine Jebabli.
 
Noureddine Sarsour was not surprised when his test for COVID-19 came back positive. He received the news a day after his release from an Israeli prison on March 31.

During his two-week detention at Israel's Ofer prison in the occupied West Bank - on charges of throwing stones and firebombs at Israeli forces - the 19-year-old said he underwent two blood tests and a throat swab. A day later, the charges against him were dropped and he was released, although he was not informed of the test results.

"Usually, before the prisoner is released from Israeli prisons, he should meet the prison manager," Sarsour, who in 2017 has previously been detained and released without charge, told Al Jazeera from isolation in a hotel in Ramallah.

"When I went to see him, the manager was wearing an anti-static uniform with a face mask and spoke to me while standing about three metres away. At that moment, I felt there was something wrong," he said.

Palestinian prisoner infected with coronavirus

Sarsour's suspicion that he had been infected with the new coronavirus increased when the guards who escorted him to the car as he was leaving kept their distance.

"I myself opened the car door and closed it behind. They didn't approach me until I was dropped near a checkpoint," he said.

Upon his arrival at the checkpoint, he was transferred by Palestinian medical crews to a Ramallah hospital and tested for coronavirus. The test returned positive the next day, and in the following days, he began showing mild symptoms, including a headache, fever and throat pain.

"My big fear is about the prisoners in Ofer prison. I mixed with about 30 to 70 prisoners while staying in Ofer prison, as the Israeli prison service keeps moving new prisoners between sections."

He said the authorities did not take special precautions to prevent infection inside the prison, such as enforcing social distancing. According to Sarsour, the prisoners asked the Israeli prison service multiple times to place new prisoners in a 14-day quarantine, before allowing them to mix with other prisoners.

"All these calls went unheard," Sarsour said.

In the days after his release, some of the inmates at Ofer held a demonstration to call for testing for the inmates who had been in contact with Sarsour. The Palestinian Prisoners' Society said about nine prisoners who were known to have mixed with Sarsour were placed in quarantine.

The Israeli Prison Service (IPS) said in a statement on April 2 that "every new detainee" was held separately for 14 days before being absorbed into a regular part of the prison.

Thaer Shretieh, head of the media unit for the Commission of Detainees and Ex-detainees' Affairs, told Al Jazeera the commission sent a letter to the IPS calling for an investigation into Sarsour's case. The letter also called on the prison service to implement preventive measures, especially with prisoners who had been in recent contact with Sarsour, he added.

"The Israeli side totally denied that the prisoner was infected inside their prisons. Despite that, Israel has confirmed that three guards at Ofer prison and al-Ramleh prison tested positive for coronavirus," Shretieh said.

The IPS said on March 31 that prison guards at Ofer who had tested positive for COVID-19 were placed into isolation and investigations showed they had not been in direct contact with prisoners.

As of April 16, Israel has reported more than 12,000 cases of coronavirus infections and 143 deaths linked to it. The Palestinian Authority has confirmed a total of 295 cases across the West Bank and Gaza, of whom two people have died.

Calls for release

The detainees' commission has called on the Red Cross and the WHO to intervene to release prisoners who may be more susceptible to the coronavirus. According to the commission, there are 5,000 Palestinians currently held in Israeli prisons, including 700 who are sick.

On April 17, Palestinians mark Prisoners Day to remind the public of the plight of those thousands of Palestinians imprisoned in Israeli military jails.

Yehia Masawdeh, spokesman for the International Committee of the Red Cross in Jerusalem and the West Bank, told Al Jazeera that "non-public meetings" are carried out weekly with the Israeli authorities to discuss the conditions of prisons. "We made sure that the infected Israeli guards were put in quarantine," he said.

"We urge the Israeli authorities to commit to the prevention and sterilisation standards, in accordance with international humanitarian law," he added.

Masawdeh said the ICRC has stopped family visits, as well as visits by lawyers and ICRC delegates to prisons, and is holding weekly meetings with Israeli authorities to inspect prison conditions through visits by an international doctor.

"We have received many demands for the release of prisoners, and the ICRC, in turn, has demanded the Israeli authorities to release prisoners over the age of 65 in addition to those suffering from chronic diseases."

On April 16 the IPS announced it had begun a programme of coronavirus testing for prisoners and staff.

"The testing process began on April 14 and will initially be conducted by 100 prisoners and staff serving in the IPS Medical Center (ROSH)," the statement said.

"Further, and according to the rate of issuance of test kits from the Ministry of Health, the sample testing procedure will continue for the entire IPS population", it said.

'My son is dying slowly'

For the relatives of the most vulnerable Palestinian prisoners currently held in Israeli jails, the outbreak has been agonising. Sabbah al-Jerjawi's son Iyad is currently serving a 9-year sentence for multiple charges in Gilboa Prison in northern Israel. Iyad is 34 years old and was diagnosed with a cancerous brain tumour two months ago.

Iyad, originally from Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, was detained in June 2011 at the Israeli-controlled Erez crossing, on his way back from receiving medical treatment in Israel.

"My life has turned upside down two months ago, after the medical check-ups of my son, Iyad, showed that he suffers from a brain cancer," 58-year old Sabbah said. "Since then, we called all bodies and the Red Cross to intervene to release my son and to let him receive the proper treatment outside the prison, but in vain. My son is dying slowly in prison."

"Since the outbreak of coronavirus, we're not sleeping due to our anxiety and fear. The conditions of prisoners in Israeli prisons are very deteriorated. They don't have the immunity to confront this pandemic that spreads across the world," she added.

"Only 60 days are remaining for the release of my son, but my joy turned into horror, because every day that passes without intervention increases the risk of a coronavirus outbreak inside Israeli prisons."

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020...an-prisoners-coronavirus-200417031432823.html
 
Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa mosque compound will be closed to Muslim worshippers throughout the holy fasting month of Ramadan due to the coronavirus pandemic, Muslim clerics at Islam's third-holiest site have announced.

Jerusalem Islamic Waqf, the Jordan-appointed council that oversees Islamic sites on the sacred compound, called the decision "painful".

In a statement published on Thursday, the council said the move was "in line with legal fatwas [clerical opinions] and medical advice".

Muslims should "perform prayers in their homes during the month of Ramadan, to preserve their safety", the council said.

In one sign of normalcy, the Muslim call to prayer will still take place five times daily at the site during Ramadan, and religious workers will still be allowed entry, the statement added.

The decision to ban Muslim prayer at the complex, revered by Jews as the Temple Mount, extends a March 23 ban on Muslim prayer there.

Ramadan will start around April 23.

It typically draws tens of thousands of Muslims daily to the mosque and the adjoining Dome of the Rock for evening prayers known as Taraweeh.

Muslims believe the site to be where the Prophet Mohammad ascended to heaven.

Coronavirus precautions

Jerusalem has sites sacred to Judaism, Christianity and Islam, and all three religions have taken coronavirus precautions.

Last week, Jews marking Passover in Jerusalem and across Israel were required to stay at home and celebrate only with immediate family.

Typically large Passover prayers at Jerusalem's Western Wall, the holiest place Jews are allowed to pray in the city, were attended by only a handful of worshippers.

At the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, what are usually festive, pilgrim-filled Easter ceremonies at the shrine revered as the site of Jesus's crucifixion and burial have been marked by small groups of clergy, often wearing face masks.

Israel has reported at least 140 deaths and nearly 12,600 cases of coronavirus. The Palestinian Authority has recorded two deaths and nearly 400 cases in the occupied West Bank and the Gaza Strip.

All mosques in Gaza have been closed since March 25, and in the West Bank since March 14.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/04/al-aqsa-closed-ramadan-coronavirus-200416174902839.html
 
DUBAI (Reuters) - Iran on Friday paraded disinfection vehicles, mobile hospitals and other medical equipment to mark its national Army Day as the country’s death toll from the coronavirus outbreak rose by 89 to 4,958.

The total number of cases of infection in the Middle East country hardest hit by the pandemic rose to 79,494, of which 3,563 were in critical condition, health ministry spokesman Kianush Jahanpur said on state television.

A parliamentary report released earlier this week said the coronavirus death toll might be almost double the figures announced by the health ministry, and the number of infections eight to 10 times more given a lack of widespread testing.

Friday’s small “Defenders of the Homeland, Helpers of Health” army parade was held at a training centre before a group of commanders in face masks to underscore the military’s role in battling the highly infections COVID-19 lung disease.

It was a far cry from the typical Army Day parades, which normally feature spectacles of infantry, missiles, submarines and armoured vehicles, with warplanes flying overhead.

“Due to health and social protocols, it is not possible to hold a parade of soldiers...The enemy now is hidden and doctors and nurses are (instead0 at the frontlines of the battlefield,” President Hassan Rouhani said in a message to soldiers, disseminated by state media.

Army forces chief Major General Abdolrahim Mousavi thanked the more than 11,000 military medical staff fighting to stem the spread of the novel coronavirus in Iran, which has one of the world’s highest death tolls.

Deputy Health Minister Iraj Harirchi warned earlier this week that infections could spread further in autumn.

“We have to get used to living with the virus until an appropriate medication or vaccination is found,” Harirchi said on state TV on Friday. A recent resumption of “low-risk” business activities “doesn’t mean that conditions have returned to normal,” he said, warning that the easing of restrictions could lead to increased infections.

So-called low-risk businesses - including many shops, factories and workshops - resumed operations on April 11 across the country, with the exception of the capital Tehran, where they will reopen from Saturday.

According to a recent opinion poll, 40 percent of residents in the greater Tehran region do not take the coronavirus seriously, the head of the government-led Coronavirus Taskforce of Tehran, Alireza Zali, said on Friday.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...-as-coronavirus-deaths-hit-4958-idUSKBN21Z0YW
 
Dubai extends 24-hour coronavirus curfew by a week

Dubai, the United Arab Emirates business hub, has extended by one week a 24-hour-a-day curfew imposed as part of a sterilisation drive to control the spread of the coronavirus, the government said in a Twitter post on Friday.

The UAE has imposed a nationwide nightly curfew since March 26 for the disinfection campaign, but Dubai on April 4 expanded it within the emirate to a 24-hour lockdown for two weeks.

The Gulf Arab country on Friday reported 477 new cases and two more deaths, both Gulf nationals, taking its tally to 6,302 with 37 deaths. Authorities do not provide a breakdown for each of the seven emirates.

https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-h...ur-coronavirus-curfew-by-a-week-idUKKBN21Z2JM
 
When Haniyeh* weighs the prospect of returning to work next week at a private company in the Iranian capital, Tehran, she takes some comfort from a colleague's offer of a ride to the office.

"One of my colleagues said he will pick me up in the mornings so that I can avoid public transport," she told Al Jazeera via telephone.

"I'm really scared for having to go to work again, but I have no other choice."

Haniyeh has diabetes and is considered among the groups of people most vulnerable to the novel coronavirus that has hit Iran hard.

Since the first case was confirmed in late February, Iran has reported about 79,500 infections and 4,958 deaths.

In an attempt to contain the virus, the government ordered stores and businesses across Iran to shut down on March 18, days before the two-week Nowruz holidays (Persian New Year).

The measures were eased this week, with the government allowing "low-risk businesses" across all provinces except Tehran to reopen on April 11.

The easing of the restrictions will be applied to the country's largest city and commercial and industrial hub from April 18.

Haniyeh says she stopped going to work before the Persian new year, but with bills mounting, she has made the difficult decision to return to work when the restrictions are eased.

"I've stayed home for the past 45 days, but I've to go back to work starting next week despite all the risks to my health because I can't pay my rent and bills without a salary," Haniyeh said.

Her situation is similar to that of many others who have few options but to risk their health in order to make ends meet.

"I don't know how much longer this situation will continue, but for people like us who can't live without an income, it is really hard to choose between making money or trying to stay safe."

Iran was already facing tough economic conditions when it was hit with the coronavirus outbreak in late February, as the effects of the relatively low oil price in recent years and the 2018 reimposition of United States sanctions hit the economy.

According to the World Bank, gross domestic product in Iran fell 8.7 percent in 2019 compared with the previous year.

Rather than impose a full nationwide lockdown that would have halted all non-essential economic activity, the government instead attempted to contain the virus via the partial closure around the new year holiday.

Ali Rabiei, an Iranian government spokesman, said on April 15 that "All taken decisions and policies over the past few weeks have been to protect the health and lives of the people, as well as to improve the economic and social life of the people."

The government has approved some measures including 10 million-rial ($62) interest-free loans to help some low-income families.

But for 25-year-old Ali Ahmadi, who works as a barista in the port city of Bandar Abbas, the capital of Hormozgan province in southern Iran, the relief package does not go far enough.

"With the high cost of living and inflation, this loan amount is ridiculous," Ahmadi told Al Jazeera. "We have a rich country, why shouldn't we receive proper support from the government?"

The coffee shop where he works has been closed for nearly a month as it falls under the "high-risk" business category under the government's measures to combat the spread of COVID-19.

Ahmadi said that he received half his regular salary last month and that he would not receive any salary in April as the shop remains shuttered.

"These are very strange times we are all going through. With the limited savings that I had, I won't be able to survive another month without an income. So if the government doesn't allow restaurants and coffee shops to open soon, I will have to start looking for some other jobs."

Ahmadi's experience reflects that of many workers and small business owners across Iran who have lost part or all their income amid the coronavirus outbreak.

As the sanction-hit Iranian government tries to contain the pandemic while managing public health and a fragile economy, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has forecasted a six percent drop in Iran's gross domestic product in 2020.

The government last month requested a $5bn emergency loan from the IMF. Amid some reports that the US is trying to block Iran's attempt to access the funds, the IMF announced on Wednesday that it was "still assessing" Iran's request.

Iran's Economy Minister, Farhad Dejpasand, was quoted last week by local media saying that estimates show 15 percent of Iran's economy will be affected by the coronavirus outbreak.

Ehsan*, 23, owns a small sandwich shop in southwestern city of Ahvaz, and opened his business last year.

"We just reopened three days ago but I had to pay the store rent in full," he told Al Jazeera. "We're not having that many customers these days because people are scared to eat outside their homes."

Meanwhile, despite some signs of a stabilisation of infection rates in recent days and with daily death tolls not exceeding two figures since April 14, officials and experts have warned about the possibility of a second wave of coronavirus cases as social and business activities resume across the country.

For his part, Ehsan remained pessimistic. Pointing to the business conditions over the past two months, he said: "Many businesses have been forced to close or reduce their workers. This will further increase unemployment. I wished I had enough savings to keep my shop closed until we get over the coronavirus."

https://www.aljazeera.com/ajimpact/...ronavirus-measures-eased-200417182522827.html
 
UAE announces $5,500 fine for spreading unauthorised coronavirus information

The United Arab Emirates will fine people up to 20,000 dirhams ($5,500) if they share medical information about the coronavirus that contradicts official statements, state news agency WAM has reported.

“It is forbidden for any individual to publish, re-publish or circulate medical information or guidance which is false, misleading or which hasn’t been announced officially ... using print, audiovisual or social media, or online websites or any other way of publication or circulation,” WAM reported, citing the government directive.

The text of the government decision refers only to “individuals”, without specifying whether journalists and media professionals are included.
 
First death in East Jerusalem amid Israeli 'neglect'

An elderly Palestinian woman has become the first fatal victim of the coronavirus disease, COVID-19, in occupied East Jerusalem, health officials have said.

Nawal Abu Hummus, 78, died on Saturday, said Palestinian Authority (PA) spokesperson Ibrahim Milhem in a statement. Abu Hummus, from the Issawiyah neighbourhood, had pre-existing chronic illnesses, he added.
 
Algeria extends coronavirus lockdown to April 29

Algeria will extend a lockdown by 10 days until April 29 as it tries to limit the spread of the coronavirus amid increases in deaths and confirmed cases, the prime minister's office.

The government had imposed a full lockdown in the Blida area, south of the capital Algiers, and a night curfew in the country's remaining 47 provinces until April 19.

"All other preventive measures will remain in place," the office said in a statement, referring to measures including the suspension of flights and public transport and closure of universities, schools, restaurants and cafes.

Algeria has so far reported 2,418 infections and 364 deaths.

==

Sudan's capital Khartoum has been placed under a three-week lockdown following a sharp increase in coronavirus cases.

The decision came as the country's Federal Ministry of Health on Saturday reported 30 new cases over the past 24 hours, bringing the total number to 66.
 
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Iran extends prisoner furloughs, closure of holy sites amid coronavirus

Iran has extended furloughs for prisoners for another month, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said, as the country endeavours to stem the spread of the new coronavirus in its crowded jails.

Reuters quoted Rouhani as saying that mosques and holy sites in Iran would remain closed until at least May 4, as the Middle East’s worst-hit country tries to contain the fast-spreading outbreak.

“Mosques and religious centres will remain closed for the next two weeks. Decisions on gatherings during Ramazan will be taken next week,” Rouhani said
 
UAE reports 4 deaths, 479 new cases

The Ministry of Health and Prevention in the United Arab Emirates announced four deaths and 479 new cases of Covid-19, Gulf News reported.

The UAE also announced 98 recoveries.
 
Beirut, Lebanon - "We have never seen days this dark," says Souzan, a 50-year-old mother of two.

Speaking by phone from her small home in Beirut's southern suburbs, nearly a month into the country's lockdown to stem the spread of COVID-19, Souzan summed up the dire conditions confronting her and thousands of Lebanese.

"It's worse than the war," she told Al Jazeera.

The past six months have brought hardships unseen in Lebanon even during the bitter days of its 15-year civil conflict that ended in 1990. Decades of corruption and financial mismanagement by warlords-turned-politicians and a cabal of business elites combined with the war next door in Syria to plunge Lebanon's economy into its worst crisis in living memory.

Already ravaged livelihoods are now buckling under the economic disruptions of the coronavirus pandemic, forcing people like Souzan - who asked her surname not be used - to seek aid for the first time in their lives.

A fraction of those in need qualify for government assistance. But a promised lifeline from the state has yet to materialize for tens of thousands of people, and cries for help in the country are growing more desperate.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) warned earlier this month that unless a robust aid programme is established, millions of Lebanese may go hungry. This in a country of more than six million, of which some 1.5 million are Syrian and Palestinian refugees.

But programmes take time, and the government is running out of it. People are hungry. Now. And they are taking their anger to the streets.

Read more on

https://www.aljazeera.com/ajimpact/war-hunger-grows-lebanon-anger-200417222253896.html
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/VIDEO?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#VIDEO</a> Egypt's Great pyramids are lit up with blue light and projected with a laser message "Stay Home" to mark World Heritage Day, as the country fights against the spread of the COVID-19. <a href="https://t.co/MImbWuadgX">pic.twitter.com/MImbWuadgX</a></p>— AFP news agency (@AFP) <a href="https://twitter.com/AFP/status/1251893316095897607?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 19, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 
Each night, Bipul* is kept awake by the fear of loan sharks hounding his parents for the money he owes. Five months ago, the 25-year-old Sri Lankan borrowed $1,400 (£1,120) to pay recruiters to take him to the United Arab Emirates, where he got a job as cleaner at a five-star hotel. But since the coronavirus outbreak there are no longer any guests, so he no longer has work and the loan is going unpaid.

“I really need a job so I can repay it,” he says. “I also need to earn money to help my family. This is such a big problem.”

Bipul was earning AED 1,000 (£218) per month, working up to 11 hours a day, six days a week at the Pullman Hotel in Sharjah, which is managed by Accor, a French firm that owns several upscale international hotel chains.

Bipul’s final salary instalment and passport are being held by the company until flight restrictions are lifted and he can be put on a plane home, he says. Sending most of his earnings to Sri Lanka and living paycheque to paycheque, he is now stranded and penniless.

Dulhara*, a Nepali in his 20s, is struggling to pay $2,500 of debts he incurred with Nepalese recruitment brokers who brought him to the UAE last year. Until he was placed at a job with Accor, the brokers made him live in a room with more than 20 other men, where he slept on a mattress on the floor and was given insufficient food. After that ordeal, he was desperate for life to improve.

The UAE is on lockdown and most hotels are shut, leaving very low paid migrant workers – mainly employed in the tourism, hospitality and construction sectors – stranded in the country with no prospect of earning. The Emirati government has allowed some repatriation flights for Asian migrant workers left jobless by the pandemic. However, some countries have refused to allow their citizens home, citing concerns over possible disease transmission, leaving workers struggling to survive without funds.

“These are worrying reports. Given the already vulnerable position of migrant workers in the UAE, abrupt redundancies are likely to have a devastating effect,” says May Romanos, Amnesty International’s Gulf migrant rights’ researcher.

In accordance with UAE law, Accor is still providing its blue-collar migrant workers with food and accommodation. But in addition to their worry over debt, both Bipul and Dulhara say they are increasingly frightened their families back home will find paying for food difficult now they can’t send money.

Instances of coronavirus in the UAE are higher among migrant workers owing to their often cramped and communal living conditions. The men interviewed said they are concerned they could become infected as social distancing is impossible.

The hospitality workers are living in a high-rise tower near the luxury hotel they were working at. Several floors have been converted into makeshift dormitories, with up to six workers packed into each small bedroom.

In Dulhara’s room a series of single metal beds are positioned side by side. It is dark, the walls are bare, and the only other furniture is row of school-style lockers for the workers’ belongings. Without money for cleaning products, they struggle to keep their living quarters sanitised.

Bored, the men mainly stay in their rooms and play games on their phones to pass the time.

“I came here to fulfil my hopes,” says Bipul. “But now everything is finished.”

https://www.theguardian.com/global-..._medium&utm_source=Twitter#Echobox=1587365227
 
Lockdown eased on Israeli ultra-Orthodox areas

Israel has lifted special restrictions on predominantly ultra-Orthodox Jewish areas in Jerusalem and next to Tel Aviv, where coronavirus rates were among the highest in the country.

Bnei Brak and several Jerusalem districts were effectively sealed off earlier this month - a move that prompted outrage among the communities and clashes with riot police. The spread of the virus in these places has since declined.

The slow pace at which some ultra-Orthodox areas adopted official measures to reduce the spread of Covid-19 has been heavily criticised by other sections of society.

Restrictions are still in place across Israel, where 172 people have died with coronavirus, and more than 13,500 others have been infected.
 
Bahrain to cut government agencies' spending

Bahrain will slash spending by ministries and government agencies by 30 percent to help the country weather the coronavirus outbreak, a cabinet statement said after meeting.

The Gulf island state's government will also reschedule some construction and consulting projects in order to keep spending within the 2020 budget and make room for other spending needs emerging as a result of the disease's spread.
 
Kuwait expands curfew, extends public sector work suspension

Kuwait will extend the suspension of work in the public sector including at government ministries until May 31 and expand a nationwide curfew to 16 hours as part of efforts to combat the novel coronavirus, a government spokesman said.

He told a televised news conference that the 4pm to 8am curfew would go into effect at the start of the holy month of Ramazan, which could fall on Thursday or later this week depending on the sighting of the new crescent moon.
 
Iraq eases restrictions ahead of Ramadan

Iraqi authorities on partially scaled back the 24-hour curfew imposed to contain the new coronavirus in a move to balance the restrictions for the month of Ramadan.

The new curfew will be implemented mainly at night, from 7pm until 6am local time as of April 21 until May 11.

The total ban, however, will stay in place on Fridays and Saturday.

Restrictions on public gatherings, and social distancing rules and gatherings of more than three people remain prohibited while restaurants and cafes will be permitted to provide delivery services only.
 
Lebanese protesters are back on the streets — this time in their cars

Hundreds of Lebanese demonstrators have reclaimed streets emptied by the coronavirus-induced lockdown to revive a moribund protest movement but stayed in their cars to respect social distancing, AFP reported.

Joyous convoys of honking cars decked out with Lebanon's cedar-emblazoned flag converged on Martyr's Square, the epicentre of the protest movement born almost exactly half a year ago.

“It's so good to be back, there's no better feeling,” said Hassan Hussein Ali, a 22-year-old protester who came equipped with a loudspeaker and a protective mask.

“Corona has killed everything but it hasn't stopped the corruption of our politicians, so it will not stop us either,” he said, standing outside Beirut's landmark Mohammad al-Amin mosque.
 
Saudi Arabia has recorded 1,147 new cases over the past 24 hours, bringing the total to 11,631, a health ministry spokesman said on Tuesday. The Kingdom has seen a steady increase in cases over the past few days following a spike as the result of increased field testing.

The spokesman said 76 percent of the newly recorded cases were discovered through the Kingdom’s efforts in field testing. He said 150 medical teams are visiting neighborhoods throughout the country to screen people in their homes. Over 500,000 people have been screened so far, according to the health minister.

Meanwhile, the health ministry announced five new coronavirus deaths, bringing the death toll 109 on Tuesday. There are currently 9,882 active cases in Saudi Arabia. A total of 1,640 people have recovered so far.

Saudi Arabia has the most total confirmed coronavirus cases in the region and the highest death toll. However, it is also by far the largest country in the GCC, both in terms of population and area.

When taking population into account – with 34.76 million people, Saudi Arabia is larger than all the rest of the GCC states put together – the Kingdom has 141 cases per million people.

Saudi Arabia’s Health Minister Dr. Tawfig al-Rabiah warned that the number of cases in the Kingdom could reach up to 200,000 within weeks, based on four different studies conducted by Saudi and foreign experts. His lower estimate was 10,000.
 
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Saudi to ease restrictions in Ramadan

Saudi Arabia plans to ease curfew hours it imposed on several cities during the month of Ramadan to allow people more time to shop for essential needs within the boundaries of their neighbourhoods, state news agency (SPA) reported on Tuesday.

Currently, people living in areas under 24-hour curfew can go out for healthcare and to supermarkets from 6am to 3pm. In Ramadan these hours will start from 9am until 5pm, SPA said.
 
Qatar reports 608 new coronavirus cases

Qatar's health ministry reported 608 new cases of coronavirus, taking its total number of infections to 7141.

The ministry also confirmed the recovery of 75 COVID-19 patients and one death over the last 24 hours.
 
Bahrain extends closure measures for two weeks starting April 23

Bahrain extended the closure measures it took to limit the spread of coronavirus for two additional weeks which set to start from April 23 until May 7, state news agency reported on Wednesday.

Those measures include closing all cinemas, sports centers, gyms, salons, and restricting restaurants operations to food delivery and takeaway only, among other measures.

Bahrain registered 2009 cases till now with a death tally that stands at 7.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...for-two-weeks-starting-april-23-idUSKCN22436U
 
How Jordan is flattening its COVID-19 curve

Jordan has eased tight lockdown restrictions in several southern provinces where no coronavirus cases have been recorded, as the number of new infections across the country appears to ebb.

The relaxation of the measures on Wednesday in the provinces of Karak, Maan and Tafilah came three days after the ending of the lockdown in Aqaba, a port city some 340km (211 miles) south of the capital, Amman. While life within the provinces has slowly begun returning to normal, a ban on travel outside their borders has remained in place in order to keep them virus-free.

On Wednesday, Jordan said it had registered seven new coronavirus cases, bringing its total to 435. The number of recoveries stood at 315 while the death toll remained at seven. According to the health ministry, Jordan has done some 30,000 tests to date.

For many experts, the kingdom's low figures are due to the early adoption of strict measures to prevent the spread of coronavirus - steps that were taken much quicker than they were in other countries in the region and elsewhere in the world.

"Timing was key for us," said Bassam Hijjawi, an epidemiologist and a member of the Epidemics Committee, the body spearheading Jordan's fight against the coronavirus pandemic.

Indeed, the government had already mobilised the committee by late January, just as COVID-19, the highly infectious respiratory disease caused by the new coronavirus, was taking hold in China.

Comprised of healthcare professionals and government officials, the committee on January 26 established several protocols to deal with the arrival of coronavirus, some five weeks before Jordan recorded its first case on March 2.

The Ministry of Health body also developed plans to prepare for a possible high rate of infections, established treatment protocols and designated certain hospitals to treat infected people.

The king also directed the government to enact the National Defense Law that placed the country under emergency military laws, with the armed forces deployed to enforce a nationwide curfew that also closed shops.

By mid-March, the government began rolling out a series of drastic measures, including shuttering schools, universities and government offices, as well as closing its borders and imposing a tight lockdown

Meanwhile, thousands of repatriated Jordanians were quarantined for a period of 14 days at hotels near the Dead Sea area and in Amman.

While the government's efforts to keep Jordan coronavirus safe appear to be paying off, Hijjawi warned against the blanket relaxation of the preventive measures in order to avoid a resurgence of the disease at a time when much of the region and the world are still in the throes on the pandemic.

Hailing the country's response so far, he noted: "As long as Jordan still below an average of 20 cases, it can still manage the situation and move forward."

Stringent measures
Mutaz Debei is a senior data scientist working to develop different mathematical models to predict the behaviour of the pandemic for the Jordanian government. He said the "stringency index" - a score that measures the severity of a government's response to the crisis - reached 80 percent in mid-March before hitting 100 percent a week later.

Debei noted that the more stringent measures taken by a government, the fewer the infections.

"The correlations between how high or low the stringency index appears to be working in Jordan," he told Al Jazeera.

Also cautioning that Jordan is not out of the woods yet because of the unpredictable nature of the pandemic, Debei said the government is moving ahead with a plan to develop a mobile application that would track individuals who are placed under quarantine and also make them wear an electronic bracelet to follow their movements.

With only 113 active coronavirus cases, Jordan so far seems to be successful in its attempt to "flatten the curve" - slowing the spread of the contagion in a bid to prevent the healthcare system from being overrun.

With certain industries now gradually reopening, after the strict lockdown measures brought Jordan's aid-dependent economy to a standstill, Debei said the government is also significantly expanding its coronavirus testing programme - described by the World Health Organization as the best way to slow the advance of the pandemic.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/04/jordan-flattening-covid-19-curve-200422112212466.html
 
UAE relaxes lockdown for month of Ramadan
Sameer Hashmi

Middle East Business Correspondent, BBC News

The UAE has announced it will be relaxing the 24-hour lockdown for the month of Ramadan. The new lockdown timings will be 10pm to 6am - allowing residents to step out during the day.

For the last three weeks, Dubai had imposed a strict lockdown, during which residents were asked to stay at home. The two main cities - Dubai and the capital Abu Dhabi - are also initiating a plan to reopen shopping malls soon.

They have issued a set of guidelines on the eve of Ramadan that include capping mall capacity to 30% and the management ensuring two-metre social distancing in all common areas. Visitors will be allowed to shop for a maximum of three hours and it will be mandatory to wear a mask at all times.

Restaurants will have to restrict seating capacity to 30% and maintain a distance of six feet between tables.The authorities in Dubai have also announced a plan that would allow residents to receive family members during Ramadan and leave home for “one outdoor activity" but the gathering cannot exceed 10 people.

Physical contact such as handshakes and hugging will be strictly prohibited during such gatherings, according to the guidelines issued. However, congressional prayers at mosques will still not be permitted across the UAE. Metro services in Dubai are also expected to start operations soon.

The UAE has reported 8,756 cases of Covid-19 and a total of 56 deaths.
 
Qatar records 761 new cases, highest daily increase

Qatar has reported 761 new cases of the coronavirus, the largest daily increase since the outbreak began, according to the health ministry.

A total of 8,525 cases have been reported in the country, with 10 deaths.
 
Iran death toll rises by 93 to 5,574: Health official

Iran's death toll from the new coronavirus has risen by 93, to reach a total of 5,574, Health Ministry spokesman Kianush Jahanpur said on state TV.

The total number of people diagnosed with the disease is 88,194, of whom 3,121 are in critical condition, he added.
 
Iran’s coronavirus death toll has risen by 76, to a total of 5,650, health ministry spokesman Kianush Jahanpur said on state TV on Saturday.

The total number of people diagnosed with the disease is 89,328, of whom 3,096 are in a critical condition, he added.
 
Lebanon extends lockdown, shortens curfew

Lebanon announced an extension of its lockdown till May 10, but said its curfew would now be from 9pm-5am, one hour shorter than before.

It also announced a five-phase plan to reopen the country on the following days: April 28; May 4, May 11, May 25 and June 6. Physical distancing and wearing masks in public will be required throughout all stages.

A decision on alternating days between cars with odd/even license plates will remain in place till at least May 10.

Private businesses can begin working again at stage 3 but with as little staff as possible. Those 65 and over will have to remain home, unless for urgent matters, until the end of phase 3.
 
Saudi Arabia's King Salman has ordered the partial lifting of a curfew in all regions of the kingdom, except in the cities of Mecca and Medina, as well as the previously quarantined neighbourhoods, according to the official Saudi Press Agency.
 
MenInG said:
Saudi Arabia's King Salman has ordered the partial lifting of a curfew in all regions of the kingdom, except in the cities of Mecca and Medina, as well as the previously quarantined neighbourhoods, according to the official Saudi Press Agency.
Click to expand...

More details

Saudi Arabia eased some of its restrictions on Sunday.

A 24-hour curfew has been lifted and people will be able to move freely from 0900 to 1700 local time.

From Wednesday, shops will be allowed to open and some factories will resume operations.

The eased restrictions, which cover the first two weeks of Ramadan, won't apply to places where social distancing can't be maintained such as gyms and restaurants.

The cities of Mecca and Medina and previously quarantined neighbourhoods will remain under lockdown.

More than 16,000 cases have been confirmed and 136 people have died in the country.
 
The daily Covid-19 death toll in Iran, the worst-hit nation in the Middle East, has fallen to its lowest level in weeks, according to an analysis of figures collated by Our World in Data.

Iran’s health ministry said on Sunday that there were 60 deaths from the coronavirus in the past 24 hours, taking the total to 5,710. The number of confirmed cases has risen to 90,481, the department said.

If correct, the data suggests that the pandemic in Iran is on a consistent downward path. It has reported about 90 almost every day for the past 11 days, so the drop to 60 would be seen as welcome news.

The graph below, courtesy of Our World in Data, shows the country’s death toll trajectory. Note: it has reported a couple of anomalies, as shown by the huge drop and spike between 4 and 5 April.
 
The number of daily confirmed infections of the coronavirus in Qatar has been accelerating over the past week.

Most of those cases were among expatriate workers who had had contact with other confirmed cases, the state news agency QNA said, according to a report circulated by Reuters yesterday.

It said some of the new cases had been recorded among workers outside of the capital’s old industrial zone, which was isolated in mid-March after it emerged as a hotspot for the virus.

Last week Qatar said it would gradually start to lift the lockdown there.
 
Dubai said on Sunday it had lifted its full lockdown on two commercial districts with large populations of low-income migrant workers, after the United Arab Emirates eased nationwide coronavirus curfews over the weekend.

On Friday, Dubai cut its emirate-wide 24-hour lockdown back to a 10pm to 6am curfew, and allowed dine-in cafes and restaurants to resume business with a maximum capacity of 30% and shopping malls to be reopened partially.

It has now taken the same step in the Al Ras and Naif districts, which had been sealed off as part of efforts to contain the spread of the virus, Reuters reports.

The UAE has reported more than 10,300 cases and 76 deaths resulting from the virus, the second-highest count among the six Gulf Arab countries after Saudi Arabia.

The Gulf states, where expatriates make up the bulk of the labour force, have seen infections spread among low-wage foreign workers living in cramped quarters despite measures to combat the disease including the suspension of passenger flights, curfews and the closure of public spaces.

Mosques, cinemas and playgrounds in Dubai remain closed.
 
Egypt asks IMF for coronavirus bailout loan

Egypt declared on Sunday that it had asked the International Monitory Fund (IMF) for financial assistance to deal with the economic fallout caused by the coronavirus.

Neither Egypt nor the IMF specified the size of the one-year bailout loan, which prime minister Mustafa Madbouly said would include a financial package alongside technical support, according to the Associated Press.

Egypt has been under a partial lockdown since mid-March, with a curfew in place from 9pm to 6am. Schools, mosques, churches and archaeological sites are closed, although many businesses remain open during the day.

With tourism and aviation at a standstill, the partial lockdown threatens the livelihoods of many of Egypts 100 million people. One in three Egyptians were already living in poverty before the outbreak, according to government figures.

Egypt secured a $12bn (£9.8bn) bailout package from the IMF in 2016, and introduced new reforms which saw the government float the currency, slash subsidies on fuel, services and utilities, and impose a value-added tax.
 
More than 700 people have died in Iran after ingesting toxic methanol, erroneously thinking it can cure the new coronavirus.

The national coroner's authority said that alcohol poisoning killed 728 Iranians between February 20 and April 7. Last year there were only 66 deaths from alcohol poisoning, according to the report.

Alcohol poisoning has seen a 10-fold increase in Iran in the past year, according to a government report released earlier in April, amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Iranian health ministry spokesman, Kianoush Jahanpour, said 5,011 people had been poisoned from methanol alcohol, adding that some 90 people have lost their eyesight or are suffering eye damage from the alcohol poisoning.

Hossein Hassanian, a health ministry adviser, said the final tally of people who lost their eyesight could be much higher.

Iran is facing the worst coronavirus outbreak in the Middle East with 5,806 deaths and more than 91,000 confirmed cases.

Methanol cannot be smelled or tasted in drinks. It causes delayed organ and brain damage. Symptoms include chest pain, nausea, hyperventilation, blindness and even coma.

On Thursday, US President Donald Trump raised the possibility of injecting disinfectant into patients, causing an international uproar with manufacturers, doctors and government agencies rushing out warnings against consuming disinfectants like bleach.

In Iran, the government mandates that manufacturers of toxic methanol add an artificial colour to their products so the public can tell it apart from ethanol, the kind of alcohol that can be used in cleaning wounds.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020...alcohol-cure-coronavirus-200427163529629.html
 
Jordan eases coronavirus curfew and reopens more businesses

Jordan on Monday eased restrictions on movement aimed at containing the spread of the coronavirus and allowed more businesses to reopen to help jump-start the cash-strapped economy, officials said.

Residents of the capital can now drive their private vehicles as of Wednesday between 0800 and 1800 in the first such move since a nationwide curfew nearly 40 days ago that ordered the country’s population of 10 million to stay at home.

Public transport and taxi services would also now resume with passenger restrictions and compulsory wearing of face masks and gloves, government spokesman Amjad Adailah.

The relaxation in curbs on movement in the capital follows a similar move last week in southern Jordan, including the Red Sea port city of Aqaba.

The government imposed the curfew shortly after the monarch enacted an emergency law that paralyzed daily life, and ordered shops and firms to close, leaving many daily wage earners struggling without pay.

Minister of Trade and Industry Tariq Hammouri said barbershops, beauty parlors, dryclean and cosmetics shops could now open in the latest string of small businesses from garments to flower shops and furniture outlets that can resume normal work.

“We hope to ease all restrictive measures with the passing of days as the (virus) threat recedes,” Hammouri said.

The government of Prime Minister Omar al Razzaz won praise for quick moves that were some of the world’s strictest measures to contain the COVID-19 pandemic, but the economic impact has deepened, with growing criticism by business lobbies.

It has carried out over 60,000 tests and detected 449 cases, many of whom have recovered. There have been seven deaths.

“Our duty now is to revive our economy and our health and we are able to do that,” Health Minister Saad Jaber said.

Government offices however will remain shut until after the fasting month of Ramadan which is expected to end around May 23 and also schools and universities.

The country’s airports and border crossing with its neighbours Syria, Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Israel are still closed to passenger traffic.

The economy has been battered with the tourism sector, a main source of foreign currency especially hard hit due to global travel disruptions.

The latest relaxation allow construction firms and many firms beyond pharmaceuticals, fertilisers and the agriculture sector that have kept operating but with lower staffing levels.

The crisis has thrown into doubt International Monetary Fund-backed growth estimates of 2.1 % for 2020 and officials expect the economy to contract for the first time since 1990.

The country’s record $42 billion public debt, equivalent to 97 percent of GDP, is expected to exceed 100%, with extra financing to cushion the negative impact of the crisis, officials say.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...few-and-reopens-more-businesses-idUSKCN2292RG
 
The Egyptian president, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, on Tuesday ordered the renewal for three months of a long-running state of emergency, citing health as well as security concerns.

Egypt has been under a state of emergency since April 2017, when twin church bombings claimed by an Islamic State group affiliate killed dozens of people.

The new extension comes as the government battles to contain the spread of the coronavirus pandemic in the Arab world’s most populous country.

A presidential decree published in the official gazette overnight said:

Given the serious health and security situation ... the state of emergency has been declared across the country for three months starting Tuesday, April 28.

The health ministry has so far recorded 4,782 Covid-19 cases in the population of 100 million.

Of those, 337 have died, while 1,236 have recovered.

The state of emergency gives police broad powers of arrest and detention, and curtails constitutional rights such as freedom of speech and assembly.

Last week, state media reported that parliament had approved amendments to the emergency law expanding the president’s powers to curb the virus’ spread.

The amendments grant the president rights to close schools, suspend public sector work, restrict gatherings, quarantine inbound travellers and order private medical facilities to assist with general healthcare.
 
The United Arab Emirates recorded 541 new coronavirus infections on Tuesday, and seven deaths, as it pushed forward with plans to end its lockdown.

Akhtar Mohammad Makoii, who writes for the Guardian from Afghanistan, is using his Twitter feed to post daily reports of the latest coronavirus statistics from across the Middle East.

He reports that total infections in the country have now reached 11,380, the death toll now stands at 89.
 
Infections in Saudi Arabia pass 20,000

The number of confirmed cases of coronavirus in Saudi Arabia has passed 20,000, after the country’s health authorities reported 1,266 new infections on Tuesday.

The kingdom also reported eight deaths from Covid-19, bringing its total death toll to 152.
 
Some 313 coronavirus cases have been reported in Moroccan jails following mass testing for Covid-19.

The authorities say Ouarzazate prison in central Morocco recorded 303 cases, while 10 other cases were in Oudaya prison in Marrakesh and Ksar Kebir prison in the north-west.

Most of the cases involved prisoners, but a small number of prison warders were also diagnosed.

The mass testing started after one person in Ouarzazate prison tested positive last week.

The authorities say they have isolated all positive cases and all warders have been issued with protective gear.

There are nearly 80,000 inmates in Moroccan prisons. In early April, more than 5,654 inmates were pardoned by the king to reduce the risk of spreading the virus in notoriously overcrowded prisons.

Morocco has 4,252 confirmed cases of coronavirus, including 165 deaths.
 
The authorities in Yemen have reported five new Covid-19 cases, a day after the United Nations warned that there was a very real probability the coronavirus was “circulating undetected and unmitigated within communities” in the war-torn country.

Previously, only a single infection had been detected - in a port official at al-Shihr, in the south-eastern province of Hadramawt, almost four weeks ago. But health workers were reportedly unable to track down “patient zero” to help prevent an outbreak.

The new cases were reported on Wednesday in the second city of Aden, some 540km (335 miles) west of al-Shihr.

Aid workers have said an outbreak of Covid-19 in Yemen could be particularly devastating.

More than five years of civil war have badly degraded the country’s health service, leaving it desperately ill-equipped to cope with Covid-19.

The UN says 10 million Yemenis are on the brink of famine, while 18 million people do not have direct access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene - limiting their ability to wash their hands.
 
The ruler of Dubai has purchased 60 tonnes of personal protective equipment (PPE) to donate to the UK's National Health Service.

The first of several planeloads arrived at Heathrow from suppliers in China this afternoon.

A spokesman for Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, prime minister of the UAE, said that because of his "deep and longstanding connections with the UK...he is determined to do his bit to keep Britain's health workers safe".

The first flight carried more than 660 boxes of face masks and other items.

Sheikh Mohammed made headlines earlier this year after being found by the High Court in London to have abducted and forcibly returned two of his daughters to Dubai, and to have conducted a campaign of intimidation against his former wife, Princess Haya.
 
Dubai eases lockdown but warns against persisting danger

Dubai government has started to ease restrictions on movement, but authorities have warned that the novel coronavirus' danger persists, Khaleej Times has reported.

"We have eased some restrictions and allowed people to move around in Dubai. At every stage, we assess the situation and based on the results, we take further steps. We are yet to overcome the danger stage," said Lt-Gen Abdullah Khalifa Al Marri, Commander-in-Chief of the Dubai Police.
 
Sixty-three more people have died from Covid-19 in Iran, bringing the total death toll in the country to 6,091, health ministry spokesman Kianush Jahanpur said in a statement on state TV on Friday, according to Reuters.

The total number of diagnosed cases of the coronavirus in the Islamic Republic, one of the Middle Eastern countries hardest hit by the outbreak, has reached 95,646, including 2,899 in critical condition, he added.
 
Iran’s death toll from coronavirus increased by 65 in the past 24 hours to 6,156 people on Saturday, health ministry spokesman Kianush Jahanpur said in a statement on state TV.

Reuters reports the total number of diagnosed cases in Iran, one of the hardest-hit Middle Eastern countries, has reached 96,448, he said, adding that 2,787 were in critical condition.
 
Saudi Arabia to take 'strict, painful' measures to deal with coronavirus impact

Saudi Arabia will take strict and painful measures to deal with the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, Reuters reports.

The country's finance minister, Mohammed al-Jadaan, made these remarks in an interview with Al Arabiya, adding that “all options for dealing with the crisis are open”.

“We must reduce budget expenditures sharply,” he said.
 
Cairo: Oman Sunday confirmed 85 new cases of the novel coronavirus, taking the country's overall infections to 2,568 including 12 deaths.

The newly diagnosed cases comprise 21 Omanis and 64 foreigners, the Health Ministry said without giving a breakdown of the foreign patients' nationalities, according to Oman's news agency ONA.

The total recoveries in the country, meanwhile, stood at 750 cases, the ministry said.

Last week, Oman eased some restrictions imposed in the country against the spread of the coronavirus.

Authorities ended control checkpoints earlier set up to restrict movement among Oman's provinces. Some businesses were also allowed to reopen.
 
Jordan lifts all restrictions on economic activity

Meanwhile in Jordan, all restrictions on economic activity have been lifted, the latest easing of coronavirus lockdown rules to help jump-start the cash-strapped economy.

Jordan has in the last two weeks been lifting restrictions to allow businesses back to work, but with lower levels of staff and strict social distancing and hygiene guidelines.
 
Latest tally in Qatar

Qatar, the GCC's second worst-hit country after Saudi Arabia, reported 679 new COVID-19 cases on Sunday, taking the total confirmed cases to 15,551.

As of Sunday, 12 people have died from the virus in the Middle Eastern country.
 
The latest from the Middle East

Iran has allowed the re-opening of mosques in 132 cities that have been consistently free of the coronavirus and are considered "low risk". The capital Tehran and the Shia holy city of Mashhad are not among them. The step is part of a phased relaxation of activities that has been under way for weeks. President Hassan Rouhani has nevertheless warned Iranians to prepare for “bad scenarios”. More than 6,200 people with Covid-19 have died in Iran

Lebanon is letting restaurants and hairdressers operate again, but only at 30% capacity. People will also be allowed to go for walks on seaside promenades during the day

Egypt has permitted a limited re-opening of its hotels for domestic tourists. The hotels must operate at no more than 25% capacity and implement a range of health measures

Expo 2020 Dubai has been postponed until October 2021, organisers say. The six-month fair is now "gearing up to help shape a post-pandemic world and create a better future for all"
 
Many countries have started easing lockdown restrictions that were put in place to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus.

In the Middle East, several Gulf states have now relaxed their restrictions, including reopening malls with limited capacity.

Precautionary measures, such as wearing face masks and gloves while maintaining social distancing remain in place.

Iran
Iran - one of the worst-hit countries with more than 6,200 official deaths - announced it will reopen mosques in areas consistently free of the coronavirus.

On Sunday, President Hassan Rouhani said 132 counties, about one-third of the country's administrative divisions, will "reopen their mosques as of tomorrow".

"Social distancing is more important than collective prayer," he continued, arguing that Islam considers safety obligatory, while praying in mosques is only "recommended".

Jordan
On Sunday, Jordan lifted all restrictions on economic activity in the latest easing of coronavirus lockdown rules to help jump-start the cash-strapped economy.

Minister of Industry and Trade Tariq Hammouri said businesses and industries would now be able to resume production.

Public transport will be allowed to return to normal service with safety guidelines. Universities and schools will remain closed and a night curfew will continue.

Bahrain
Bahrain has made it mandatory to wear masks outdoors after easing some restrictions at the start of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan.

It had previously announced that shopping malls and some stores will reopen on April 9.

United Arab Emirates
Malls in the United Arab Emirates's capital, Abu Dhabi, began reopening to a restricted number of customers.

On Saturday, three malls in Abu Dhabi reopened at 30 percent customer capacity after adopting safety measures, including installing thermal inspection devices, the government media office tweeted.

The following day, commercial establishments, including malls, salons and eateries reopened in Sharjah.

Commercial centres will operate from 12pm to 9pm local time, while food stores and pharmacies will work around the clock. Shoppers are required to wear face masks and gloves at all times.

According to state media agency WAM, members of the same family are allowed to travel in the same vehicle without getting fined for violating the three-people limit, Dubai police have said.

Saudi Arabia
On April 26, Saudi authorities confirmed that wholesale and retail trade stores will be allowed to resume activities during the two-week period from April 29 until May 13, including inside shopping centres and malls.

Retail stores and shopping malls reopened last Wednesday on April 29 from 9am to 5pm local time.

Lebanon
On Monday, Lebanon allowed restaurants to open at 30 percent capacity during the day.

But many business owners say they will not reopen because they would be losing more money if they operate under such restrictions during a faltering economy.

Cafes have been ordered to stay shut until June, along with clubs and bars.

Israel
On Sunday, a partial reopening of schools took place in Israel for the first time in seven weeks.

According to the education ministry, 80 percent of schools in Israel reopened, but schools in Arab localities have not with some asking to delay the return until after Ramadan.

(Al Jazeera)
 
The Expo 2020 Dubai has been postponed by a year because of the coronavirus outbreak and will now be held from October 1, 2021, to March 31, 2022, the Paris-based organiser said.

The six-month, multibillion-dollar global innovation fair, set to be the largest such event ever staged in the Arab world, was expected to attract some 24 million visitors starting from October 20 this year.

But on Monday, a two-thirds majority of member states of the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) voted in favour of a delay requested by the United Arab Emirates (UAE), saying in a statement the postponement "allows all participants to safely navigate the impact of COVID-19".

"Expo 2020 Dubai is gearing up to help shape a post-pandemic world and create a better future for all," the bureau said.

The delay "also allows the World Expo to focus on a collective desire for new thinking to identify solutions to some of the greatest challenges of our time."

"We welcome the decision of BIE member states to support the delay Expo 2020 Dubai by one year," Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed al-Maktoum, chairman of the Expo 2020 Dubai Higher Committee, said.

"We are thankful to member states for their continued commitment to contributing to a World Expo in Dubai that will play a pivotal role in shaping our post-pandemic world at a time when it will be most needed.

"Over the last 50 years, we have sought to build bridges, connections, and partnerships around the world because we believe in genuine collaboration to safeguard the future of all," he added.

Expo 2020 Dubai will retain its name, despite the one-year postponement to 2021, the organising committee said.

It will remain "committed to hosting an exceptional event that will celebrate humanity's resilience, creativity, culture and innovation - including major technological advances in the fields of medicine and science", a statement on the event's website said.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020...ned-2021-due-coronavirus-200504103102485.html
 
Syrian president Bashar al-Assad has warned that the country could face a “real catastrophe” if coronavirus cases spike and overwhelm health services.

The current low level of infections did not mean Syria had gone out of the “circle of danger”, Assad said in an address to the government committee that oversees measures to curb the pandemic.

“These figures could suddenly spike in a few days or few weeks and we would see in front of us real catastrophe,” he said.
 
Iranian airline fuelled virus spread in Middle East

An Iranian airline with links to the country's Revolutionary Guards fuelled the spread of the virus in the Middle East, a BBC investigation has found.

Mahan Air flew infected passengers from Iran to Lebanon and Iraq - leading to the first official cases in both countries.

Sources within Mahan Air told the BBC that cabin crew were silenced by the airline when they tried to raise concerns about its handling of the virus and the lack of protective equipment.

Flight tracking data also shows that the airline repeatedly flew to China despite a flight ban by Tehran.

Mahan Air has refused to comment.
 
Saudi Arabia has given private businesses a green light to cut salaries by 40% and terminate employment contracts, citing economic hardships caused by the pandemic.

The measures, which take effect immediately, allow for employees to be laid off after six months of reduced salaries – the effect of which is set to slash household incomes.

Like the rest of the Middle East, the Saudi economy has ground to a near halt over the last two months, as construction, retail, industry and most other sectors have flatlined. The announcement is unprecedented in the modern Saudi state, where vast oil wealth has built an affluent society for many of its citizens – less so for the migrant workforce that has built the country.

A safety net generated by decades of oil revenues has been part of the pact between Saudi citizens and its well-heeled leadership and such a crisis will be difficult to digest for many, particularly as mega projects such as a $500 billion new Red Sea city rumble on, and plans continue for the G20 summit in November.

An oil price at historic lows, partly a factor of the country’s heir to the throne, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman flooding global markets with crude at the same time worldwide demand had plunged, has led to a sharp fall in Saudi revenues.

The economic instability led the Saudi government to insist on Monday that its currency will remain pegged to the US dollar and that it had sufficient reserves to meet all economic and exchange demands.

The Kingdom has reported 1,645 new cases of coronavirus, with seven deaths.
 
Iran death toll from new coronavirus outbreak rises by 63 to 6,340: health ministry official

The death toll from the outbreak of new coronavirus in Iran rose by 63 in the past 24 hours to 6,340, Health Ministry spokesman Kianush Jahanpur said in a statement on state TV on Tuesday.
 
Palestine extends coronavirus state of emergency in occupied West Bank

The Palestinian Authority has announced a one-month extension of a state of emergency imposed in the occupied West Bank to try and curb the spread of the novel coronavirus.

In place since March, the emergency measure has introduced a full lockdown that confined Palestinians to their homes, except for essential travel. Restrictions have since been eased, with some businesses allowed to open in a bid to revive the weakened economy.
 
Bahrain eases coronavirus restrictions, shops, industries to open

DUBAI (Reuters) - Shops and industrial enterprises in Bahrain can open from Thursday while restaurants will stay closed to in-house diners, the Health Ministry said, as the Gulf state eases restrictions designed to stop the spread of the new coronavirus.

Bahrain shuttered non-essential shops and businesses in late March and barred entry of foreign visitors, but did not impose a curfew, unlike some other Gulf states.

Health Ministry officials told a news conference on Wednesday that employees and customers must wear face masks and practice physical distancing. Cinemas, sports facilities and salons remain closed.

The small island state has reported 3,720 infections with eight deaths from the virus. The total count in the six Gulf Arab states exceeds 76,000 with 421 deaths.

Other Gulf countries eased curfews and other social and business restrictions with the start of the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan two weeks ago.

Bahrain this week opened a 152-bed COVID-19 field hospital intensive care unit on an empty piece of land in Sitra, as part of a plan to create 500 additional ICU beds for critical cases.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...s-shops-industries-to-open-idUSKBN22I1WO?il=0
 
Iran’s Central Registrar Office has confirmed that it has been ordered not to publish the overall death rates in the country over the past three months, increasing scepticism over the official coronavirus statistics.

Iran's official tally is 6,418 dead and more than 100,000 cases since the first coronavirus case was confirmed on 19 February.

The real figures are thought to be much higher and authorities on Tehran's city council have disputed the official numbers.

A parliamentary report published last month also estimated that the real numbers of cases and fatalities were 10 times higher.

The government of President Hassan Rouhani has boasted that its management of the pandemic has helped to contain the spread and to keep the numbers of fatalities down.
 
Yemen's rebel Houthi movement has reported the first coronavirus death in territory under its control. Health officials said a Somali migrant died in Sanaa on Sunday. Three deaths have been confirmed by the government elsewhere in the country

One of the most prestigious universities in the Middle East, the American University of Beirut, says its survival is at stake as it tries to cope with Lebanon’s economic crisis, which has been compounded by the pandemic. Programmes and departments may well be closed

The authorities in Jordan have arrested media workers and others under emergency legislation that could discourage online discussion about their response to the pandemic, Human Rights Watch has said.

Israel is preparing to carry out antibody tests on some 100,000 citizens to see how widely the Covid-19 virus has spread and help plan for a possible second wave of infections, its health ministry chief has told the New York Times
 
Qatar has launched a new drive-through coronavirus testing programme to assess the prevalence of the disease in the wider population beyond the worst-affected groups where tests had been targeted.

The Gulf monarchy of 2.75 million people has seen a relatively high number of cases with 18,890 testing positive.

However its death rate with 12 fatalities is one of the world’s lowest which experts say is down to the country’s young population and mandatory health checks for its vast foreign workforce.

Migrant labourers in the Industrial Area suburb of Doha and Qataris returning from virus hotspots like Iran have been the focus of testing efforts, along with those found to have been in contact with them.

But a two-day pilot launched on Wednesday has seen citizens invited to participate in voluntary tests at several clinics across the country.
 
Saudi Arabia forms police unit to enforce coronavirus curbs on social gatherings

Saudi Arabia has formed a police unit to monitor violations of rules banning gatherings of more than five people imposed to curb the spread of the coronavirus, the state news agency SPA said.

The kingdom had previously said such gatherings were prohibited and said today that those breaching the rules would be punished by law. It also encouraged people to report breaches of the restrictions.
 
Israel’s weekly confirmed coronavirus cases have dropped below 500 for the first time following a strict 8-week lockdown that is now being lifted in stages, reports the Guardian’s Jerusalem correspondent.

The Health Ministry said the total number of confirmed cases stood at around 16,300, with 42 new infections during the past 24 hours. In total, 240 people have died.

In recent days, Israel has reported less than 50 new cases a day, with recovers vastly overtaking new infections. Hospitals have begun to close coronavirus wards, although they have been kept on standby in anticipation of a possible second wave of infections.

Restrictions have also been reduced, with malls, gyms, hairdressers and some school classes reopening this week. Preschools are due to open on Sunday, with class-size limits.
 
(Reuters) - The number of coronavirus cases in Saudi Arabia exceeded 35,000 on Friday as the kingdom struggles to get to grips with rising numbers of new infections.

Officials reported 1,701 new cases , taking the total to 35,432. The country has recorded a daily average of around 1,500 new cases over the past week.

Despite the rising number of cases, the kingdom’s death toll has remained relatively low. It increased by 10 on Friday to 229.

Saudi Arabia on Thursday formed a police unit to monitor violations of its coronavirus lockdown rules and banned gatherings of more than five people, according to state news agency SPA, citing hefty fines for any violations.

Fines of up to 100,000 riyals ($27,000) will be handed down to groups larger than one family gathering in public and private spaces, including homes, construction sites and shops. The same rule applies for parties, weddings and funerals.

Saudi Arabia recorded its first COVID-19 infection on March 2, several weeks after the initial outbreak in Asia.
 
Kuwait imposes 20-day 'total curfew' from May 10 to curb coronavirus

(Reuters) - Kuwait will enact a "total curfew" from 4pm (1300 GMT) on Sunday through to May 30 to help to curb the spread of the new coronavirus, the Information Ministry said on Twitter on Friday.

Further details of the curfew will be announced soon, it said.

Kuwait on April 20 expanded a nationwide curfew to 16 hours a day, from 4pm to 8am, and extended a suspension of work in the public sector, including government ministries, until May 31.

On Friday the Gulf state announced 641 new coronavirus cases and three deaths, bringing its total number of confirmed cases to 7,208, with 47 deaths.

The number of cases in the six Gulf Arab states has risen steadily to almost 86,000, with 486 deaths, despite containment measures including curfews, the grounding of passenger flights and the closure of most public venues.

The number of coronavirus cases in Saudi Arabia exceeded 35,000 on Friday.
 
Egypt's president expands powers, citing the coronavirus pandemic

Egypt’s president Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi on Saturday approved amendments to the country’s state of emergency that grant him and security agencies additional powers, which the government says are needed to combat the coronavirus outbreak, Associated Press reports.

An international rights group condemned the amendments, saying the government has used the global pandemic to expand, not reform, Egypts abusive Emergency Law.

The new amendments allow the president to to take measures to contain the virus, such as suspending classes at schools and universities and quarantining those returning from abroad. But they also include expanded powers to ban public and private meetings, protests, celebrations and other forms of assembly.

The government has waged an unprecedented crackdown on dissent since 2013, when el-Sissi rose to power, and unauthorized protests have been banned for years.

The amendments allow military prosecutors to investigate incidents when army officers are tasked with law enforcement or when the president orders it. The country’s chief civilian prosecutor would have the final decision on whether to bring matters to trial. The amended law would also allow the president to postpone taxes and utility payments as well as provide economic support for affected sectors.

Parliament, which is packed with el-Sissi supporters, approved the measure last month.

Egypt has been under a state of emergency since April 2017, and the government extended it late last month for another three months. The law was originally passed to give the president broader powers to combat terrorism and drug trafficking.

The government said the amendments were needed to address a legal vacuum revealed by the coronavirus outbreak. Egypt, with a population of 100 million, has reported at least 504 deaths among around 8,500 confirmed cases.
 
Iran's health ministry expressed concern over the number of coronavirus cases reported in the southwestern province of Khuzestan as it confirmed 1,529 new infections nationwide.

"All provinces are showing a gradual drop in new infections ... except for Khuzestan, where the situation is still concerning," spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour said in televised remarks.

In the past 24 hours, the total number of registered infections rose to 106,220, while the death toll increased by 48 to 6,589.
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Dear all, <br>To set the record straight, <a href="https://twitter.com/khaleejtimes?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@khaleejtimes</a> was the media partner at an event in February in Dubai where HE Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahayan, Cabinet Member and Minister of Tolerance, UAE, was the chief guest. That was the extent of our association with this event, <a href="https://t.co/H7QZs7MqXs">https://t.co/H7QZs7MqXs</a></p>— مصطفى الزرعوني (@MustafaAlzaroni) <a href="https://twitter.com/MustafaAlzaroni/status/1259096848649850880?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 9, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">religious intolerance in the UAE or in our journalism. Thank you for your continued support and we hope you continue to find value in our unbiased and positive content.</p>— مصطفى الزرعوني (@MustafaAlzaroni) <a href="https://twitter.com/MustafaAlzaroni/status/1259096977708548096?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 9, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

That was a WION/Zee media event...
 
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