The Middle East at war with coronavirus: Top stories from 25 April

In today's roundup: Iranian officials fear "fresh outbreak" of coronavirus cases, Etihad airways extends suspension of flights and Tunisian government turns to students for help to fight Covid-19.

MENA

4 min read

The New Arab

25 April, 2020

Get your daily coronavirus updates here [TNA]

Here are five stories you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic and how it is affecting the Middle East on 25 April:

1. Fears raised in Iran of 'fresh outbreak' of virus

Iranian health officials on Saturday raised fears of a "fresh outbreak" of coronavirus cases in their country, which has paid the deadliest price in the Middle East from the pandemic.

As the predominantly Shia country marked the start of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, a day later than much of the Muslim world, another 76 fatalities were declared, raising Iran's official death toll to 5,650.

Iran has in phases since April 11 allowed the reopening of a number of businesses that were closed as part of measures to curb Covid-19.

The spread of the disease has slowed since the start of April, but Alireza Zali, the anti-coronavirus coordinator for the capital, on Saturday criticized "hasty reopenings".

They could "create new waves of sickness in Tehran and complicate efforts to bring the epidemic under control", he said, quoted by the official news agency IRNA. Read more here.

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2. Abu Dhabi's Etihad extends suspension of flights

Abu Dhabi's Etihad airways said in a statement on Saturday it would extend its suspension of scheduled passenger flights until May 15.

The airline had said it would partially resume passenger flights from May 1.

Etihad and other UAE airlines have been operating outbound-only flights for foreigners wishing to leave the Gulf Arab state, which has banned the entry of foreigners due to the global coronavirus outbreak.

"This decision is being taken early to avoid potential disruption to customers wishing to travel during that period, and for their safety and wellbeing," the airline said in an email to Reuters.

The coronavirus outbreak has virtually halted all international air travel. Read more here.

3. Turkey's steps to support economy over Covid-19 reach $29 bln

The Turkish government's steps to support the economy in the face of the coronavirus pandemic have reached a value of 200 billion lira ($28.7 billion), Finance Minister Berat Albayrak said on Saturday.

Twitter Post

President Tayyip Erdogan initially announced a 100 billion lira package to support the economy on March 18, postponing debt payments and reducing tax burdens in some sectors. Since then, Ankara has gradually widened such measures.

With the pandemic forcing businesses to furlough or lay off millions of staff, the government has also stepped in to top up income or pay daily stipends, while small businesses are being given access to fresh loans.

"The total value of the steps we have taken so far has reached 200 billion lira," Albayrak said in a video posted on his Twitter account.

Turkey's confirmed cases of Covid-19 increased by 3,122 on Friday with the death toll rising to 2,600.

4. Hundreds test positive for coronavirus in Morocco prison

Morocco's prison authorities confirmed a worrying spread of the novel coronavirus inside several of its detention facilities, the worst outbreak occurring among prisoners and staff in Ouarzazate, where at least 270 tested positive.

The General Delegation for Prison Administration and Rehabilitation said that 207 prisoners and 62 staff in the facility in southern Morocco had tested positive for the virus, while another 55 inmates were waiting for the results of their tests.

Authorities had decided to test all the prison's inmates and staff on Wednesday after several people had tested positive. Read more here.

5. Tunisia hopes novel methods will aid virus fight

The feared impact of coronavirus on Tunisia's fragile public health system has provoked a flurry of innovation from robotics to digitalisation efforts to bolster the North African country's pandemic response.

The government has even turned to students for help, asking the engineering school in Sousse, south of the capital Tunis, to task its students with designing a locally made ventilator as their end-of-year project.

Ventilators are crucial for treating critically ill Covid-19 patients, but as in many countries, Tunisia's poorly equipped hospitals lack sufficient numbers of the devices.

Costs and delivery times for ventilators have increased dramatically.

"Students, teachers and doctors have come up with a functioning prototype," said Aref Meddeb, the school's director.

"This is the first time these machines have been made in Tunisia. It shows that there is real potential here."

Other Tunisian researchers have developed plans for a simplified respirator made with 3-D printed parts.

It will soon be made freely available, allowing undeveloped countries without access to sophisticated equipment to make their own. Read more here.

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