The National Army commander General Khalifa Haftar has issued his immediate and direct orders to all committees assigned to follow up the situation of stranded Libyans in order to take an instant step and conduct an air bridge to return them before Ramadan.
In a statement, Khalifa Haftar urged that stranded Libyans must be obliged to 14 days in quarantine as well as to the needed lab tests before being repatriated home.
Libya’s Central Bank in Benghazi announced today that 600 masks would be offered to the Medical Advisory Committee against the coronavirus epidemic as a first batch of 3,000 masks manufactured by the Foundation for Research and Technology, with the assistance of the the Central Bank of Libya’s Benghazi.
The bank noted that this step is part of the its ongoing efforts to help fight the coronavirus disease.
Today, Libya’s National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) announced 9 positive cases of Coronavirus, bringing the country’s total to 35.
It said that it had received a total of 25 suspected samples 16 of which were negative.
The NCDC said that 8 cases were people who had come into contact with other existing known patients.
Kristalina Georgieva, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) issued a statement claiming that the Executive Board approved immediate debt service relief to 25 of the IMF’s member countries under the IMF’s revamped Catastrophe Containment and Relief Trust (CCRT) as part of the Fund’s response to help address the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
African countries are the largest recipient, numbering 20.
“This provides grants to our poorest and most vulnerable members to cover their IMF debt obligations for an initial phase over the next six months and will help them channel more of their scarce financial resources towards vital emergency medical and other relief efforts.” Kristalina Georgieva said.
According to Georgieva, the CCRT can currently provide about US$500 million in grant-based debt service relief, including the recent US$185 million pledge by the U.K. and US$100 million provided by Japan as immediately available resources. Others, including China and the Netherlands, are also stepping forward with important contributions.
During her statement, Kristalina Georgieva urged other donors to help them replenish the Trust’s resources and boost further their ability to provide additional debt service relief for a full two years to their poorest member countries.
In a letter addressed to Libya’s Foreign Minister Mohamed Sayala, the Chinese Foreign Minister, Wang Yi said that his country will provide Libya with medical supplies for tackling the Coronavisus epidemic, highlighting his country’s readiness to cooperate with Libya in this regard.
According to Libya’s Foreign Ministry’s information office, the Chinese Minister claimed that they will share experiences and enhance cooperation in prevention and control strategies to combat the disease and preserve the health and security of both nations.
The National Oil Corporation announced that the forced closure of its facilities has resulted in the country losing revenue of over $4 billion.
“Libya is today $4 billion poorer than it would have been without the blockade. That is public funds that could have been invested into better health care, re-building roads, plus schools and education for our children.” NOC Chairman Mustafa Sanalla said.
“The $4 billion loss to the Libyan people is irreversible. All areas of life, the national infrastructure and all Libyans, including men, women and children, are affected by this heavy loss. This will add to their suffering that was a result of blockades on oil facilities over past years.” He added.
In his statement, Sanalla called on those responsible for this blockade to think carefully and with a national spirit about the negative repercussions of their irresponsible behaviour on the life and future of the Libyan citizens, and the damage their acts could cause if they continue.
“If NOC was able to resume production, the state may be able to stop the collapse of its economy and its vital facilities, and overcome this difficult phase that our country is going through.” Mustafa Sanalla stressed.
Britain’s economy could shrink by 35% in the April-June period, and the unemployment rate could more than double to 10% due to the government’s coronavirus shutdown, the country’s independent budget forecasters said.
The Office for Budget Responsibility said the budget deficit could hit 273 billion pounds in the 2020/21 tax year, five times its previous estimate and equivalent to 14% of gross domestic product, its biggest since World War Two.
The projection was based on the assumption that the shutdown lasts for three months followed by another three-month period during which restrictions are partially lifted, the OBR said.
In a statement to “Sada” Economic Newspaper, a source from Afriqiyah Airways (a state-owned airline based in Tripoli, Libya) revealed -yesterday- that missiles fell inside Tripoli’s Mitiga airport.
The source added that the shelling was really intensive that it resulted in huge material losses.
It will be recalled that Mitiga Airport has been under attack for several consecutive years, amid local and international condemnations.
A steep economic downturn and massive coronavirus rescue spending will nearly quadruple the fiscal 2020 US budget deficit to a record $3.8 trillion, a staggering 18.7% of US economic output, a Washington-based watchdog group said on Monday.
Releasing new budget estimates based on spending mandated by law, the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget (CRFB) also projected that the fiscal 2021 deficit would reach $2.1 trillion in 2021, and average $1.3 trillion through 2025 as the economy recovers from damage caused by coronavirus-related shutdowns.
The estimates follow the US Treasury’s report on Friday of a $744 billion budget deficit in the six months through March 30, which included minimal impact from the outbreak of the new coronavirus. Officials said significant budget impacts from spending and reduced revenues would appear in April’s budget results.
Conditions are worsening in Tripoli, the besieged Libyan capital, after water and natural gas supplies to the city were cut in recent days, making life even more difficult for a population living with war and the new threat of coronavirus.
Quoting Financial Times Newspaper, families in western Libya have been facing “apocalyptic” conditions after the water and power cuts, according to Liam Kelly, the Tripoli-based country director of the Danish Refugee Council, an aid group.
The flow of water through a main pipeline to Tripoli and other cities in western Libya from aquifers in the Saharan south was cut off last week by an armed group in Shwerif, a region 350km south-east of Tripoli.
A pipeline carrying natural gas supplies to Tripoli was also cut by another group, plunging parts of the city into darkness and aggravating conditions in the capital where some 150,000 people have been displaced from their homes on the front line.
The Tripoli-based National Oil Corporation has also condemned the disruption to supplies but refrained from identifying the perpetrators.