Voice of America
02 Dec 2020, 02:35 GMT+10
QADARIF, UM RAKOUBA REFUGEES CAMP - Thousands of Ethiopians who fled fighting in Tigray for camps in Sudan fear a new threat - a COVID-19 outbreak. While there are no confirmed cases, concern is running high.
The more than 40,000 Ethiopians who left Tigray for eastern Sudan over the past month have been placed in three camps in the cities of Qadarif and Kassala.
Tesfai Alley, 32, and his pregnant wife fled the fighting, but are now worried about the spread of COVID-19 in the camp due to the low living standards, crowded rooms and a shortage of water.
Social distancing is difficult in the camp, where at least six refugees stay in each small tent or room, and people gather in large groups to get food, water or blankets.
To help reduce the risk, health workers are teaching refugees methods to prevent the spread of the virus, and isolation centers are being built.
Isaac Yousif, a doctor at Um Rakouba refugee camp, said the densely populated camps pose a risk, should a coronavirus outbreak occur. In addition, he said, there is a possibility some suspected cases fled isolation centers in the war zone and brought the virus to the camps.
A second wave of COVID-19 is sweeping across Sudan, which reports at least 17,000 registered cases and a high mortality rate.
The government has shut down universities and schools, and is considering whether to impose more restrictions.
The U.N. refugee agency is calling for more international aid to deal with the crisis.
Refugees are trying to adjust by constructing small markets inside the camps and close to hosting villages.
Meanwhile, the Sudanese government is setting up a new refugee camp 250 kilometers from Khartoum to help ease overcrowding in the existing camps.
Get a daily dose of Miami Mirror news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Miami Mirror.
More InformationNEW YORK CITY, New York: With just weeks to spare before a potential government default, U.S. lawmakers passed a sweeping tax and spending...
PARIS, France: Fast-fashion giant Shein has been fined 40 million euros by France's antitrust authority over deceptive discount practices...
PALO ALTO/TEL AVIV: The battle for top AI talent has claimed another high-profile casualty—this time at Safe Superintelligence (SSI),...
FRANKLIN, Tennessee: Hundreds of thousands of Nissan and Infiniti vehicles are being recalled across the United States due to a potential...
REDMOND, Washington: Microsoft is the latest tech giant to announce significant job cuts, as the financial strain of building next-generation...
LONDON UK - U.S. stock markets were closed on Friday for Independence Day. Global Forex Markets Wrap Up Friday with Greeback Comeback...
MOSCOW, Russia: This week, Russia became the first country to officially recognize the Taliban as the government of Afghanistan since...
CAIRO, Egypt: This week, both Hamas and Israel shared their views ahead of expected peace talks about a new U.S.-backed ceasefire plan....
WASHINGTON, D.C.: The Trump administration has made public a visa decision that would usually be kept private. It did this to send...
MADRID, Spain: Liverpool footballer Diogo Jota and his younger brother, André Silva, have died in a car accident in Spain. Spanish...
LONDON, U.K.: An unrelenting heatwave sweeping across Europe has pushed early summer temperatures to historic highs, triggering deadly...
President Donald Trump's plans to build a space-based Golden Dome missile defense shield have drawn immediate criticism from China,...