With arrival of Muharram, a Shia mourning ritual, the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) calls on people to follow safety measure and prevent outbreak of Covid-19.
People in attendance of the ritual Muharram ceremony should follow heath notifications, wear masks and gloves, say heath authorities.
The announcement by health authorities comes at a time when the country is battling with a slow outbreak of Covid-19 though according to official figure the number of Covid-19 disease has dropped significantly, with no death case of Covid-19 reported in the last two days.
Officials at the MoPH warn that the outbreak of coronavirus is not under full control. The situation will come under control if the ratio of positive cases falls under five percent, says Akmal Samsor, spokesman for the MoPH. He urged the people to follow health instructions and do not commit mistakes some people did during the Eid days.
A survey, conducted by the MoPH earlier last month, suggested that almost ten million of population tested positive whereas a report published by hospitals showed that 37,953 people tested positive with coronavirus.
Karimullah Shahpar, specialist on infectious disease, told Kabul Now that coronavirus poses a serious threat while most people do not take it as serious as they should—particularly during occasions.
As some countries are battling with second wave of the outbreak of Covid-19, people in Afghanistan tempt to ignore the likely health threat Covid-19 poses to public health.
Aziza Akbari, a university student, who has tested positive with coronavirus, says few Covid-19 patients were hospitalized at Afghan-Japan hospital. None of her friends, neighbors and relatives have taken Covid-19 outbreak as a serious health threat, according to Ms. Akbari. “Even health workers at hospital were not following health instructions [properly].”
A survey conducted by the Integrity Watch Afghanistan, showed most hospitals in the country were not equipped to take preliminary tests for coronavirus.
Health authorities report a decline in number of positive cases of Covid-19 in Afghanistan albeit the country still remains fragile to outbreak of Covid-19.
