Coronavirus: Afghanistan approves plan to impose lockdown in Kabul

Afghanistan Cabinet has approved a plan to impose lockdown in the capital Kabul on Friday in view of the coronavirus outbreak, sources quoting presidential adviser Wahid Omar told Devdiscourse. All government and non-government establishments will remain closed for 3 weeks except the Ministry of Public Health and other relevant health centers directly dealing with COVID-19, according to the draft plan that was shared with the Cabinet. 

Major schools, universities and wedding halls will be turned into isolation centers which will be used to quarantine those who return from Iran for 14 days. The movement of buses and other local and government transportations which carry more than 5 people will be banned in the city.

Based on this draft plan, 70 mobile teams will be assigned to patrol in Kabul city to identify people with symptoms of coronavirus. The plan also says that all restaurants, hotels, sauna, cafes, public bathing centers, shrines, gyms, parks, etc will remain closed for 3 weeks.

Afghanistan has recorded 94 confirmed coronavirus cases as of Friday afternoon with 4 deaths. But the country shares its border with Iran, which has reported over 29,000 cases and over 2,200 deaths. Thousands of people have reportedly entered the country from Iran in the past couple of weeks.