Lockdown extended as COVID-19 positive cases reach 555 in Afghanistan

Addressing a press conference, Wahid Majroh, an adviser the Public Health Ministry, said the 34 cases included 8 in Kabul, 8 in Herat, 5 in Kandahar, 4 in Nimroz, 4 in Wardak, 2 in Balkh, one in Ghor, one in Baghlan and one in Badghis.
He confirmed the two deaths at the Afghan-Japan Hospital in Kabul on Friday evening. The hospital is the only treatment center for COVID-19 patients in Kabul. The two men were aged 37 and 65 years old. Sources said one of them had infected 12 members of his family with the coronavirus.
Majroh said the number of people seeking admission to hospitals has increased and added that millions will be infected with the coronavirus if the lockdown is not taken seriously.
On Friday, photos of three men lying unconscious on Kabul streets were widely shared on social media with people criticizing the government for not taking proper measures, especially on public awareness.
Majroh said the samples of these men have been sent for testing and that the result will be made clear later.
Meanwhile in a meeting of provincial governors of Kabul, Logar, Parwan, Kapisa and Maidan Wardak, it was decided to extend the lockdown for another week as well as further limit the movements in country’s highways.
According to John Hopkins University, the confirmed cases of the coronavirus has surpassed 1.69 million.