War-ravaged Yemen confirms first coronavirus case, braces for more

Yemen reported its first case of the novel coronavirus on Friday as aid groups try to prepare for an outbreak in a country where war has shattered the health system and spread hunger and disease.

The news came after a nationwide ceasefire prompted by the virus pandemic began on Thursday. A Saudi-led coalition fighting Yemen’s Houthi movement announced it would halt military operations for two weeks, though the Houthis have yet to agree.

The case was diagnosed in the southern oil-producing region of Hadhramout, the supreme national emergency committee said.

“The individual is stable and receiving medical attention and the medical teams,” it tweeted.

The sufferer was a Yemeni working in the small commercial port of Ash Shihr, a local official told Reuters.

If the virus spreads in Yemen, the impact would be “catastrophic”, as the health status of at least half the population is “very degraded” and the country does not have sufficient supplies, capabilities or facilities, its U.N. humanitarian coordinator, Lise Grande, told Reuters on Thursday.

Authorities ordered the closure of Ash Shihr port for a week for deep cleaning and instructed workers there to isolate at home for two weeks, according to a directive seen by Reuters.

They also imposed a 12-hour nightly curfew in all Hadhramout districts starting from 6:00 pm Friday until further notice. Civil defence vehicles near the port were ordering people through loudspeakers to stay home, residents said.

The World Health Organisation said it was providing support to Yemen’s Ministry of Public Health and Population. “We are following the case and its contacts to assess the level of exposure,” Yemen representative Altaf Musani told Reuters.