Despite orders of provincial officials in Herat–a COVID-19 hotspot–to stay locked-down and practice social distancing, footage shows crowded roads and streets during the Eid holiday.
However, there are some families in the city who have been encouraging their fellow community members to stay home amid the COVID-19 outbreak and talk on the phone instead of visiting each others’ homes.
“We will use all our resources to control traffic and movement within the city during the Eid days,” Herat governor Sayed Wahid Qatali said last week.
The estimated population in Herat is about 4 million people.
“We are forced to come out because of poverty and unemployment — we cant sit at home, we remained at home for forty days, now we are forced to come out and work,” said Naeem, a resident in Herat.
“My husband and myself decided to stay home on Eid days, because there is a possibility that one of our relatives will bring the virus into our home,” said Susan Nawisa, a resident in Herat.
“This year we decided to celebrate Eid at home and talk to our loved ones on the phone to protect ourselves from the virus,” said Jawad Amed, a resident in Herat.
‘We can celebrate Eid on social media, this is the best way to protect ourselves, our families, and our people from the virus,” said Farishta Yaqoubi, a resident of Herat.
Herat Health Department has warned that ignoring health and hygiene guidelines can lead to a major “human tragedy” in the province.
The latest COVID-19 figures in Afghanistan:
The Ministry of Public Health on Monday reported 591 tests were COVID-19 positive out of 1,095 in the last 24 hours, bringing the total to 11,582.
Over the past week, Kabul has reported the highest number of positive cases in the country.
The new cases, according to the ministry, were reported in Kabul (390), Herat (62), Balkh (36), Badghis (21), Nangarhar (18), Takhar (14), Kunar (14), Paktia (5), Baghlan (5), Wardak (7), Bamiyan (1), Ghor (2), Jawzjan (11), Panjshir (2), and Khost (3).
The ministry has reported one death in the last 24 hours in the western province of Herat, while 22 others have recovered.
According to the ministry, there are 9,857 active cases of COVID-19 in the country.
So far, the Ministry of Public Health has tested 31,718 samples, according to a statement by the ministry.
The total number of known coronavirus deaths in the country is 219, and the number of recovered COVID-19 patients is 1,095 countrywide.
