War-ravaged Yemen confirms first coronavirus case

Authorities impose partial curfew in Hadhramout and close port. Further, United Nations warns of catastrophe if virus spreads in the war-torn country.

Nurses receive training on using ventilators, recently provided by the World Health Organization at the intensive care ward of a hospital allocated for novel coronavirus patients in preparation for any possible spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Sanaa, Yemen, on April 8, 2020.

Yemen reported its first case of the novel coronavirus ( COVID-19 )on April 10 as aid groups try to prepare for an outbreak in a country where war has shattered the health system and spread hunger and disease.

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The news came after a nationwide ceasefire prompted by the coronavirus pandemic began on April 8. 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.

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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 April 9.

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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 p.m. on April 10 until further notice. Civil defence vehicles near the port were ordering people through loudspeakers to stay home, residents said.

The World Health Organization 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 the Reuters .

Funding cuts

Yemen has been mired in violence since the Iran-aligned Houthi movement overthrew the government in the capital, Sanaa, in late 2014, prompting the Saudi-led coalition to intervene. The Houthis still control Sanaa and most large urban centres.

The five-year-old conflict has killed more than 100,000 and pushed millions to the brink of famine.

The World Food Programme said on April 9 it would halve the aid it gives to people in Houthi-controlled areas from mid-April after donors cut funding over concerns that the group was hindering aid deliveries. The WFP feeds more than 12 million Yemenis a month, 80% of them in areas held by the Houthis.

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The U.S. Agency for International Development, a major donor, said two weeks ago it had started to reduce aid to Houthi areas.

The U.S. State Departments top diplomat for the Middle East told reporters in a teleconference on April 9 that the onus was on the Houthis to ensure the flow of humanitarian aid.

“It would be productive, especially during the time of COVID-19, if the Houthis started abiding by standard international best practices for humanitarian assistance,” said David Schenker, assistant secretary for Near Eastern affairs.

“We encourage them to, one, join the ceasefire; and two, to end their problematic humanitarian practices.”