From Sajia Yarmal
Afghanistan has been embroiled in devastating wars for many years now. People have suffered severe psychological hardships. Millions of people were killed or displaced. Taliban, the terrorist group that has claimed the lives of thousands of Afghans over the past ten years by claiming jihad and enforcing Islamic law, and has never allowed the Afghan people to live a prosperous life. The war continues and dozens of military and non-military people are killed every day.
Alongside war, poverty and hunger are other big threats to Afghanistan, a country with a population of over 30 million. Based on census half of the Afghan population is living below the poverty line and they struggle for their lives to survive.
Afghanistan is now facing a new threat, the mysterious and deadly COVID19. The question arises: What will happen to the poor people of Afghanistan?
According to the statement by the ministry of Health in Afghanistan, “in the absence of serious measures and full lockdown, up to 210 thousand people may get infected and 110 thousand will not survive the disease.” This number is greater than the number of people who have lost their lives due to the war in recent years. Based on official reports from 20th May, 8254 people are infected – 187 have died and 930 people have recovered.
In order to contain the spread of the virus, the Afghan government has introduced restrictions on movement and contact in major cities. Schools, universities, mosques, government offices, private companies and shops are all closed. The police are patrolling the streets and making sure people don’t disregard the regulations. Those who do not comply with the rules will be subjected to fines or other penalties. However, even will all these regulations and restriction the number of infections is still increasing and has put many people at risk.Corruption in the Government and giving priority to the high-level authorities for tests, made the job more difficult for Afghan citizens to fight against the virus. While dozens of people die at the doors of Kabul and other cities’ hospitals every day, there is no reports on international aids at hand.
tun042002
Impressionen zum Leben in Zeiten der Corona-Pandemie: Foto: tünews INTERNATIONAL; Mostafa Elyasian, 01.04.2020
