ERi-TV: Eritrea lockdown to fight coronavirus
“All citizens are compelled to stay at home for 21 days starting from Thursday.
“This directive will not apply to those engaged in indispensable developmental and security tasks,” said the statement from the Eritrea Ministry of Information.
The MoI further said members of each household, not exceeding two at a time, are allowed to go out from their homes to buy essential food items during the day time.
The conditional permission also holds for emergency medical treatment.
However, the statement said all trading activities and transactions will be banned during the period.
“Similarly, weekly markets that occur in various parts of the country will remain closed,” further said the MoI statement.
Eritrea confirmed its first case of COVID-19 on March 21.
The nation has previously implemented a ban on all commercial passenger flights to and from the country due to concerns related to the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Key planks of the stay at home order issued by the High Level Task Force on COVID-19 included amongst others that:
- All citizens are compelled to stay at home. This directive will not apply to those engaged in indispensable developmental and security tasks.
- Members of a household, not exceeding two at a time, are allowed to go out from their homes to buy essential food items during the day. This conditional permission also holds for emergency medical treatment.
- All trading activities and transactions will be banned in this period. Similarly, weekly markets that occur in various parts of the country will remain closed. Food production, supply and processing enterprises as well as grocery stores, pharmacies and banks will however continue to provide services. These institutions will close at 8:00 pm every evening.
- All Government Institutions will stop routine services and functions to focus on indispensable developmental and security tasks. Majority of public sector employees will thus stay at home.
- With the exception of citizens employed in institutions that will continue their functions, all other individuals confined to their homes are not allowed to use their private cars during this period.
- Major productive and service sectors (manufacturing, food processing, construction, Trucking etc.) will continue their functions.
