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Developing economies could see sharper recession in 2020, World Bank warns

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 Senior World Bank officials on Friday warned that developing economies could see a deeper recession than currently expected if consumption and investment do not rebound quickly after the coronavirus pandemic.

In a blog posting on the Bank’s website, officials said the preliminary baseline scenario forecast a “grim” 2% drop in economic output in developing countries, the first contraction in these economies since 1960 and a sharp swing from average growth of 4.6% over the last 60 years.

But it said the situation could be “considerably worse” and output in those economies could drop by nearly 3% if just one of the Bank’s assumptions failed to materialize, and investment and consumption did not rebound as hoped.

“Even if three months of mitigation measures prove effective in halting the pandemic, investors and households could remain skittish or local or global supply chains may not be restored,” wrote Ceyla Pazarbasioglu, vice president for equitable growth, and Ayhan Kose, director of the development prospects group.

“Under such a scenario, the hit to global output would be larger — and developing economies would end up experiencing a deeper recession” that could reduce output nearly 3%, they said.

“No evidence” that recovered COVID-19 patients cannot be reinfected: WHO

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The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Saturday that there was currently “no evidence” that people who have recovered from COVID-19 and have antibodies are protected from a second coronavirus infection.

In a scientific brief, the United Nations agency warned governments against issuing “immunity passports” or “risk-free certificates” to people who have been infected as their accuracy could not be guaranteed.

The practice could actually increase the risks of continued spread as people who have recovered may ignore advice about taking standard precautions against the virus, it said.

“Some governments have suggested that the detection of antibodies to the SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, could serve as the basis for an ‘immunity passport’ or ‘risk-free certificate’ that would enable individuals to travel or to return to work assuming that they are protected against re-infection,” the WHO said.

“There is currently no evidence that people who have recovered from COVID-19 and have antibodies are protected from a second infection,” it said.

Chile said last week it would begin handing out “health passports” to people deemed to have recovered from the illness. Once screened to determine if they have developed antibodies to make them immune to the virus, they could immediately rejoin the workforce.

Libya: new Covid-19 positive test

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The National Center for Disease Control (NCDC), announced a new infected patient with COVID-19, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in Libya to 61.

It also announced that the new case had mixed with a previously known case.

The NCDC added in its daily report that the reference testing laboratory had analyzed 82 samples.

It is worth noting, that the NCDC has also recorded a new death on Thursday, in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic, bringing the death toll in Libya so far to two.

Interior Ministry visits truck drivers stranded on the Libyan-Tunisian border

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 The Undersecretary of the Interior Ministry, Khaled Mazen along with a member of the Anti-Coronavirus Supreme Committee carried out a visit to truck drivers and their assistants who are in effect quarantined at the customs headquarters of Ras Ijdir.

It will be reminded that the goods-laden trucks and their drivers and assistants have been stranded on the Libyan-Tunisian border for the last month, and they have been quarantined at the customs headquarters of Ras Ijdir, after Libya’s National Centre For Disease Control took samples for coronavirus testing .

On 16 April, 2020  Tripoli Chamber of Commerce and Industry warned that neither the goods nor their drivers were in ideal conditions isolated on the border crossing – with the goods not stored in proper conditions. It also accused the relevant authorities of ‘‘indifference’’ to the crisis and leaving the drivers’ health and the money of importers ‘‘to the faith of the winds’’. This, it suggested, would lose the confidence of the Libyan private sector in the current Libyan authorities.

Europe calls for humanitarian truce in Libya as fighting surges

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The foreign ministers of Germany, France and Italy and the EU’s top diplomat made a joint call on Saturday for a humanitarian truce in Libya, saying all sides must resume peace talks.

“We want to unite our voices to those of the U.N. Secretary-General (Antonio) Guterres and his Acting Special Representative for Libya, Stephanie Turco Williams, in their call for a humanitarian truce in Libya,” the statement said.

“We call on all the Libyan actors to get inspired by the spirit of the Holy Ramadan, engage in resuming talks for a genuine ceasefire,” said the statement, signed by the EU’s Josep Borrell, France’s Jean-Yves Le Drian, Italy’s Luigi di Maio and Heiko Maas of Germany.

Global collaboration to accelerate new COVID-19 health technologies

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The World Health Organisation (WHO) on Friday launched a “landmark” international collaboration to accelerate the development of Covid-19 health technologies.

The new collaboration was launched at a virtual event co-hosted by WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, French President Emmanuel Macron, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

Addressing the opening of the event, Tedros said: “Today, WHO is proud to be uniting with many partners to launch the Access to Covid-19 Tools Accelerator, or the ACT Accelerator.”

By launching the international cooperation, the WHO and its partners aim to “ensure all people have access to all the tools to defeat Covid-19,” said the WHO chief.

“This is a landmark collaboration to accelerate the development, production and equitable distribution of vaccines, diagnostics, and therapeutics for Covid-19,” he said.

Noting that research and development play a central role, the WHO chief said since January, the UN health body has been working with thousands of researchers all over the world to accelerate and track vaccine development.

“We’ve also developed diagnostics that are being used all over the world, and we’re coordinating a global trial on the safety and efficacy of four therapeutics against Covid-19,” he said.

A number of global health actors and private sector partners, as well as other stakeholders, joined the new global collaboration. Among them are Global Fund, UNITAID, Wellcome Trust, the World Bank and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

“We agree that alongside evidence-based public health measures, innovative Covid-19 diagnostics, therapeutics and vaccines are needed… to save millions of lives and countless trillions of dollars, and to return the world to a sense of ‘normalcy,'” they said in a joint statement published on the WHO website.

“We understand we cannot do this alone, and that we need to work together in unprecedented and inclusive partnership with all stakeholders,” the statement said. 

UN Mission in Libya Concerned about Alleged Chemical Weapons Use in Tripoli

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Stephanie Williams, acting head of the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), has expressed her grave concern over reports about the use of chemical weapons in the capital, Tripoli.

“We have also referred this to the panel of experts who will be looking into it. So again, this is the very, very concerning report,” she told a virtual press briefing.


UK: Libyan Doctor Succumbs to COVID-19

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Libyans paid tribute to Dr. Sadeq Elhowsh, a Libyan doctor in Wales, who died from COVID-19 on Monday.

Elhowsh, a long-serving orthopedic surgeon with St Helens and Knowsley Teaching Hospitals – NHS Trust, succumbed to the novel corona virus, after serving more than 17 years in the medical career.

In two separate statements, the ministries of Foreign Affairs and Health in the National Accord Government announced the death of the Libyan doctor. The Health ministry said that he died of COVID-19 after contacting the virus while trying to save a patient’s life. He was buried on Tuesday in the United Kingdom.

UN: hike in food prices makes it worse for Libya

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 Fighting around Tripoli and insecurity in Libya have triggered food price hikes, prompting the United Nations and its humanitarian partners to renew appeals for a ceasefire, a UN spokesman said yesterday.

“Our humanitarian colleagues warn that a cessation of hostilities is urgently required in the country,” said Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. “Ongoing insecurity and fighting around Tripoli are continuing to deepen civilian suffering.”

Half of the assessed cities reported food shortages and 86 percent reported food price hikes, Dujarric said. On average, a recent assessment showed the prices of food items increased by 27 percent, while those of hygiene items have gone up by 12%.

Libyan Central Bank reviews the state’s economic challenges

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The governor of the Libyan Central Bank Al-Siddiq Al-Kabir has urged for uniting efforts of all state institutions to get past the extraordinary crisis the country is going through amid the offensive against Tripoli and the blockade on oil production and exports, let alone the global drop of oil prices.

This came in a briefing yesterday to the planning, financial, and budget committee as well as economic, trade, and investment committee of the House of Representatives in Tripoli, in the presence of HoR Speaker Hamouda Sayala and other members.

Neertheless, the briefing touched upon technical issues for the work of the Central Bank and concluded by forming a joint commission from the two HoR committees to review economic challenges and propose solutions.