Commentaries | Jan 29,2022
Veiled in face masks, Health Minister Lia Tadesse (MD), Nigussu Tilahun, head of the press secretariat at the Prime Minister’s Office, and Demeke Mekonnen, deputy prime minister, chat. They had just convened, in strict social distancing fashion, inside an assembly hall located adjacent to the Office of the Prime Minister with a spattering of other high-ranking officials and media personnel to discuss the exacerbation of the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak in Ethiopia.
No new regulations came of the meeting, but they announced the launch of a nationwide month-long testing campaign in an effort to “determine the next steps to undertake in the new year,” as Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed (PhD), who led the meeting, posted on his Twitter page.
Shy of half a million tests conducted nationwide and coming as the number of cases has shot up to almost 18,000 by yesterday, Ethiopia continues to lag behind the likes of Kenya and Uganda on a per capita basis. But total tests conducted have grown substantially, outbidding the amount that has been undertaken in Nigeria and Egypt.
Among the courses of action, testing will be useful in predicting the opening of schools and universities in the coming academic year, which was discussed during the meeting. Experiences of other countries were raised, but the matter of passing decisions was postponed until the results of the testing campaign are tallied.
Even if schools were to open, the Prime Minister explained that it would be in sets, starting from the lower grades, as younger people are considered to be less susceptible to the virus.
PUBLISHED ON
Aug 01,2020 [ VOL
21 , NO
1057]
Commentaries | Jan 29,2022
Sunday with Eden | Dec 04,2021
Radar | Apr 17,2020
Agenda | Oct 03,2020
Fortune News | Apr 24,2021
Radar | Sep 19,2020
Editorial | Mar 13,2021
Viewpoints | Feb 06,2021
Viewpoints | Mar 06,2021
Fortune News | Sep 18,2021
Dec 22 , 2024 . By TIZITA SHEWAFERAW
Charged with transforming colossal state-owned enterprises into modern and competitiv...
Aug 18 , 2024 . By AKSAH ITALO
Although predictable Yonas Zerihun's job in the ride-hailing service is not immune to...
Jul 28 , 2024 . By TIZITA SHEWAFERAW
Unhabitual, perhaps too many, Samuel Gebreyohannes, 38, used to occasionally enjoy a couple of beers at breakfast. However, he recently swit...
Jul 13 , 2024 . By AKSAH ITALO
Investors who rely on tractors, trucks, and field vehicles for commuting, transporting commodities, and f...
May 10 , 2025
Federal legislators recently summoned Shiferaw Teklemariam (PhD), head of the Disaste...
May 3 , 2025
Pensioners have learned, rather painfully, the gulf between a figure on a passbook an...
Apr 26 , 2025
Benjamin Franklin famously quipped that “nothing is certain but death and taxes....
Apr 20 , 2025
Mufariat Kamil, the minister of Labour & Skills, recently told Parliament that he...
Loading your updates...