The threat came knocking on the country’s western border with Iran, when thousands of panicked Afghan refugees started returning, voluntarily or otherwise, with evident symptoms of the COVID-19 disease
President Ashraf Ghani urged the Taliban a day earlier to a cease-fire to allow screening and health services to combat areas under the group’s control.
In a televised address, he said peace remains his top priority and the government remains committed to serving people in need in all corners of the country
The United Nations International Organization for Migration reports that over 83,000 Afghans have returned to Afghanistan from Iran since January 1st of this year; a significant rise primarily caused by the fear of the quickly spreading coronavirus in Iran
The Afghanistan health ministry has confirmed the country’s first coronavirus case. Government Health Officials say the victim is from Herat and has recently travelled to Afghanistan from Iran. The ministry announced a state of emergency in Herat Province