Government under fire as coronavirus cases continue to climb

The government has come under fire by MPs, people, and returnees as coronavirus cases continue to rise in Afghanistan. Providing updates on spread of the covid19, Spokesperson for the Ministry of Public Health, Wahidullah Mayar, said today, March 16, that five new cases have been registered in Herat (two cases), Logar (two cases), and Badghis (one case) provinces.

With the newly confirmed cases of the pandemic disease, the total cases officially confirmed in the country has raised to 21 amid a huge flow of returnees from Iran. Around three million Afghan refugees are said to live in Iran. Most Afghan refugees are forced to leave Iran and make a comeback to their home. According to the Ministry of Refugees and Repatriations, around 15,000 refugees return from western borders of Afghanistan on daily basis. Afghanistan’s borders with Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Pakistan are closed by the neighboring countries to stop cross-border movements.