Coronavirus: ICRC raises red flag on Libyans caught between bombs, pandemic
Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - Hundreds of thousands of Libyans are caught in an intensifying conflict as COVID-19 (coronavirus) threatens to spread and debilitate the country’s fragile health system, a humanitarian charity has warned.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) fears that the virus will compound the suffering of conflict-affected families.
The families, the committee said in a news dispatch, are already struggling to meet basic needs, from shelter to food, water, and medical care.
“The Libyan health care system was struggling before COVID-19,” said Willem de Jonge, ICRC’s head of operations for Libya.
“(Today), some medical professionals who need to be trained on COVID-19 infection prevention protocols keep being called back to the frontlines to treat the injured," he added
Clinics and hospitals are overwhelmed caring for war-wounded and those with chronic illnesses, so their capacity to receive COVID-19 patients is limited. They need more support and resources to face this challenge, Jonge said.
Despite international calls for a ceasefire, fighting around Tripoli has escalated, forcing people to flee their homes and damaging civilian infrastructure.
Some areas in Tripoli like Abu Salim have seen their patient-load quadruple in recent months, mostly due to the influx of displaced families, many of whom live in collective centres.
The ICRC says special preventive measures must also be taken to ensure that COVID-19 does not enter prisons, as physical distancing is impossible.
Migrants in Libya are also highly vulnerable to the disease, as many have only limited access to information, health care, or income.
Jonge asked the authorities to ensure that delivery of humanitarian aid is facilitated while maintaining preventive measures such as physical distancing, or those who depend on it will suffer tremendously, said Jonge.
In its operational response to the Libyan conflict the ICRC says it continues to provide food and household items to internally displaced people, residents and returnees. In March, these efforts reached more than 8,200 people.
Its water and sanitation teams have been working with local water authorities to increase access to clean water in dozens of areas affected by the conflict.
-0- PANA DJ/MA 12April2020
