COVID-19

Situation Report #4

17 APRIL

7486 732 2 76 Sample Cases Deaths Recovered collected confirmed

HIGHLIGHTS

• As of 17 April, the authorities confirmed 732 cases of COVID-19 in , and two fatalities. MoH announced that the local

community transmission stage has been reached. • Additional support is required to bring to scale preparedness and response capacity. • The general lockdown in the country, except for essential services has been extended to 23 April.

• The UN Secretary General stressed that ‘vaccine must be available and affordable for everyone, everywhere [and]

considered a global public good’. CUMULATIVE CASES

• IOM launched a regional Strategic Preparedness and Response > 30

Plan COVID-19, including Djibouti, to help millions of migrants 16 - 30

and IDPs confront the pandemic 1 – 15

• SITUATION OVERVIEW • As of 17 April 2020, the Ministry of Health has confirmed 732 cases of COVID-19 in Djibouti, and two fatalities. In the Balbala suburb of Djibouti town, Al Rahma hospital became a new cluster on 5 April. The facility has been put in quarantine since by the Ministry of Health (MOH). Cases have also been confirmed in the region and in two refugee settlements located in the province. The UN staff affected by the virus has been discharged from hospital.

Evolution of COVID-19 in Djibouti 732 800 591 700 600 435 363 500 298 400 187214 Cases 300 121135140150 50 51 59 90 159156141 200 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 3 12 12 13 15 19 26 31 34 41 83 65 100 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 9 0 1 2 4 7 5 3 7 9 1 8 31 31 14 5 10 37 28

0

17/04/20 17/03/20 18/03/20 19/03/20 20/03/20 21/03/20 22/03/20 23/03/20 24/03/20 25/03/20 26/03/20 27/03/20 28/03/20 29/03/20 30/03/20 31/03/20 01/04/20 02/04/20 03/04/20 04/04/20 05/04/20 06/04/20 07/04/20 08/04/20 09/04/20 10/04/20 11/04/20 12/04/20 13/04/20 14/04/20 15/04/20 16/04/20

Daily Cases Cumulated

• On 15 April, the President addressed the population. He congratulated the medical personnel, armed forces, police and gendarmerie for the remarkable work accomplished and called for national solidarity to support those most affected by the pandemic. • On the basis of the President instruction to mitigate the effects of COVID-19 on the economy, on 14 April, the and Free Zones Authority (APZF) has decided to grant an 82.5% reduction in tariffs for 60 days to all Ethiopian exports. This gesture in critical time was saluted by the Ethiopian Prime Minister. The Government confirmed the road corridor to will remain open. All Terminal Handling Charges (THC) will be free of charge for Ethiopian exporters for 60 days, as a COVID19 solidarity measure. • On 10 April, IGAD Ministers of Finance discussed the COVID-19 crisis and its consequences on the region, as well as means to prepare a collective and regional response. • On 17 April, the UN Secretary-General (SG) outlined three recommended actions toward COVID- 19 economic recovery in global solidarity with developing countries: an across-the-board debt standstill for all developing countries that do not have access to financial markets and cannot service their debt, regardless of their income level on the basis of debt sustainability; more comprehensive options towards debt sustainability with instruments such as debt swaps and a debt mechanism for the SDG; and addressing structural issues in the international debt architecture to prevent defaults leading to prolonged financial and economic crises. • The World Bank estimates that the COVID-19 pandemic has set off the first recession in the Sub- Saharan Africa region in 25 years, with growth forecast at -5.1% in 2020 from +2.4% in 2019. Economies in Sub-Saharan Africa could lose between $37 billion and $79 billion in output losses in 2020. The region could face a severe food security crisis, with agricultural production expected to contract between 2.6% and 7%. The WB and IMF have called for a “bilateral debt standstill,” as part of the global response to soften the impact of COVID-19 on Africa’s poor. • On 14 April the SG announced a new UN Communications Response initiative to spread facts and science, countering the scourge of misinformation – “a poison putting more lives at risk”. The SG also urged religious leaders of all faiths to join forces and work for peace around the world and focus on the common battle to defeat COVID-19. WHO has released public health guidance for social and religious practices and gatherings during Ramadan, as well as guidance on considerations for adjusting public health and social measures in the context of COVID-19. • The SG, with UNICEF support, released this week a policy brief on the impact of COVID-19 on children who may well be among the biggest victims of the crisis in the long run, especially in the poorest countries, and in the poorest neighborhoods, and in precarious situations. The brief calls for interventions to minimize the impact of physical distancing and lockdown strategies on children and expanding social protection programmes, prioritizing the continuity of child-centred services

(education, nutrition, immunization and other maternal and newborn care, and community-based child protection); and providing practical support to parents and caregivers, including how to talk about the pandemic with children, how to manage their own mental health and the mental health of their children, and tools to help support their children’s learning. • On 5 April, the SG also issued a global call on the need for an end to all violence against women everywhere, including at home (https://www.un.org/en/un-coronavirus-communications- team/make-prevention-and-redress-violence-against-women-key-part). As the pandemic and prevention measures, such as lockdowns, have spread, so too has an alarming global increase in reports of violence against women and girls. 136 Member States, including Djibouti, have publicly supported the call. The initiative was followed on 9 April by a policy brief focused on the impact of COVID-19 on women, elaborated with the support of UN-Women and other UN agencies, calling for women to be at the centre of all short-term mitigation and long-term recovery plans. The brief details actions on prevention, including designating domestic violence shelters as essential services, moving support services online, increasing investment to organizations on the front line of response, and undertaking widespread prevention and awareness campaigns. On the economic front, stimulus packages should specifically target women by putting more cash in their hands, providing tax breaks for their businesses and enlarging social protections related to health, education, and care work. • WHO informed that initial data indicates low seroprevalence, i.e. that the prevalence of the virus pathogen in population is low. Hence, the concept of “herd immunity” may not be realistic and the need for a vaccine has become more pressing. This was followed by a call by the SG stressing that ‘vaccine must be available and affordable for everyone, everywhere [and] considered a global public good’. • The IOM Regional Office for the East and Horn of Africa has launched a Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan COVID-19 appeal for USD 71.6 million to help millions of migrants and internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the region confront the COVID-19 global public health emergency ( https://www.iom.int/news/iom-regional-office-launches-covid-19-strategic-preparedness-and- response-plan-east-and-horn ) • On 14 April, OHCHR released detailed Guidelines governments and law enforcement agencies must follow to avoid human rights abuses ( https://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=25792&LangID=E )

• PREPAREDNESS AND RESPONSE HEALTH – WHO Djibouti received medical supplies and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) through the first UN solidarity flight on 15 April 2020. Supplies included 500 laboratory extraction kits; 500 specimen collection kits (swabs for testing); 20,000 surgical masks; 1,000 FFP2 masks; 300 protective

goggles; and 1,000 protective gowns. These supplies Djibouti ©WHO will help the country to intensify the efforts in detection and verification of COVID-19 cases, isolating the positive cases and contain the spread of the virus.

The PPEs will be distributed to the healthcare workers in Djibouti, providing them with the Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) tools necessary to protect them against the infection while serving the population. WHO has initiated the procurement of ambulances, in order to facilitate MoH healthcare workers movement and the transport of suspected and confirmed cases of COVID-19. WHO continues to

offer technical support to health

© authorities, including to identify different UNDP scenarios of the epidemic; plan for the needed quarantine and case management Djibouti sites and strengthen human resources. UNFPA supported authorities to review the impact of COVID 19 on the continuity of maternal and reproductive health services. A reproductive health communication and education plan for midwifery and youth networks is under development. To improve the health products supply chain, UNDP provided the MOH central warehouse (CAMME) with a real-time dashboard to view stocks of key medical supplies and equipment for COVID-19. WASH – On 12 April IOM donated hand washing stations and soap to the Prefecture, as well as personal protective equipment to the National Police.

FOOD / FOOD SECURITY – On 13 April, the ©

Ministry of Social Affairs and Solidarity UNHCR (MASS) shared information about the food assistance needs in rural and urban areas. Djibouti Estimates indicate the need for assistance to 23,000 vulnerable households in Djibouti city with cash-based transfers and an additional 12,500 vulnerable households in the regions for a period of three months. WFP is developing a response plan in order to complement the MASS’ food assistance in rural areas and in Djibouti city. Some 1,500 migrants located in the Government migration response centers need food assistance. WFP assisted 600 migrants were assisted by WFP in the centers of Loyada, near the Ethiopian border and Obock near the Yemen border. Although school classes are suspended, the Ministry of Education reopened school canteens 13 April in primary schools in Djibouti. On 18 April, the ministerial meeting between the FAO, AU and international partners, senior officials highlighted the impact of lockdowns in Africa where informal markets, rather than supermarkets, provide a lifeline for most consumers. They agreed on strategic action to lessen the impact of the COVID-19 on food security in Africa. FAO reports that COVID-19 is substantially affecting smallholder producers’ access to markets; advising that immediate impacts tend to be more severe for high-value commodities (perishable products). The Deputy Secretary-General stressed that those hit hardest are those who were at greatest risk before the pandemic and called for coherent and coordinated action as the pandemic is highlighting and amplifying inequalities, injustices, gender-based violence and the failures and inadequacies of social safety nets. PROTECTION – Following border closures in Ethiopia and tightened border controls in Yemen, some migrants transiting through Djibouti are now stranded. To date, the DTM has identified 2,353 migrants at 15 sites. IOM produces daily updates on the situation, available at https://iom.maps.arcgis.com/apps/View/index.html?appid=9075ea256eb545e7a5252cea8893ee50& locale=fr On 10-15 April IOM promoted COVID-19 prevention measures to 1,281 migrants at the flow monitoring points in Ali Sabieh, , Obock and Tadjourah and distributed food and non-food items to 460

migrants at the Masagara site in Obock. In addition, two migrants were provided medical care of at the

MRC (Migration Response Centre) and 45 migrants Djibouti were consulted and treated on site.

IOM In view of the confinement and restriction of © movements, UNHCR and ONARS have established a virtual platform for general coordination with partners to follow up on operational issues and updates, while sectoral meeting could still take place virtually. UNHCR Protection unit is permanently in touch with community leaders through WhatsApp and phone calls. To date, 60 persons of concern in Djibouti city have used the protection HelpLine service, mainly to share their concerns, to seek information and request assistance. The collection of the information will further be analyzed. UNFPA and UNHCR supported authorities to review the impact of COVID 19 on Gender Base Violence related services, which in many countries has been exacerbated by the lockdown. The national response protocol has been strengthened by improving the use of the hotline and by working with the gendarmerie health center and the personnel trained in this structure for adequate and complete care. EDUCATION – The Ministry of Education and Ministry of higher education is developing scenarios for the remaining exams and courses in case of extension of the general lockdown. LOGISTICS – On 14 April, the Government of Ethiopia and WFP launched a new humanitarian air hub inside Bole International Airport from which COVID 19 protective equipment and medical supplies will be transported by air to destinations across Africa. As the lead in the UN for Supply Chain, WFP continues to organize meetings with the UNCT and logistics units of the humanitarian partners involved in this response to understand their needs and pipelines. WFP compiled the agencies’ PPE and non-medical items needs for better planning and consolidation of purchases. WFP drafted the Concept of Operations for Djibouti’s Supply Chain COVID Response and shared it with the UNCT and interested partners with the objective of optimising the modus operandi to support the supply chain component of the COVID19 response. WFP intends to secure 100,000 sqm of storage space at the new Free Zone at PK23 and availing storage space at the Humanitarian Logistics Base (HLB) for the prepositioning dry , 1,200sqm of temperature controlled warehouse space and is also proceeding to equip HLB with the necessary material for the cold room at HLB and procurement of refer containers for in-country cold chain. SOCIO-ECONOMIC IMPLICATIONS OF THE CRISIS – UNDP is partnering with the Ministry of Economy and the World Bank to conduct digital household and Medium and Small Enterprises (MSME) surveys to better assess the impact of COVID-19. On 17 April, ECA released the COVID-19: Africa: Protecting Lives and Economies report (https://www.uneca.org/publications/covid-19-africa-protecting-lives-and-economies ). Additional ECA COVID-19 resources for media on the economic impact and advocacy at international financial institutions level are available at https://www.uneca.org/eca-covid-19-response ICAO has updated its analysis of the economic impact on civil aviation available at https://www.icao.int/sustainability/Documents/COVID-19/ICAO_Coronavirus_Econ_Impact.pdf. The World Bank launched another 11 projects under the COVID-19 fast track facility approved on 2 April, bringing the total of approved COVID-19 projects to 36, with total financing of US$2.15 billion. There are currently 29 more operations in the pipeline to be approved on a rolling basis. On 17 April, the Development Committee issued a communiqué underscoring that multilateral cooperation is needed to contain the pandemic and mitigate its health, social, and economic consequences (https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2020/04/17/world-bankimf-spring-meetings- 2020-development-committee-communique)

COMMUNICATIONS & ADVOCACY To facilitate the continuity of governmental services, UNDP has provided the government with the licenses for 40 Zoom Enterprise and 3 Zoom Room Connector. All UN entities in Djibouti with a social media presence continue to advocate to promote critical prevention measures and address rumors. The HQ has launched the “COVID-19 Reponse” logo and stamps, to have a unified brand to label all advocacy and response efforts. These assets have been made available for use by all, for initiatives that are positively responding to the COVID-19 crisis, along the lines of what the United Nations, the World Health Organization, and government guide. Logo page: https://covid-19logo.org/

For further information, please contact: Idyl MOUSSA IYE | UN Resident Coordinator’s Office | [email protected]