IOM Djibouti is continuing to provide assistance for stranded migrants inside and gloves) at checkpoints, border COVID-19 prevention and response the country due to border closures in crossings and medical centres. support in the form of donations, Ethiopia and Yemen. The Mission is also in discussion with the capacity building to medical staff and The Organization is working closely with Ministry of Women and Family to government officials, and awareness the Ministry of Interior and the Ministry provide COVID-19 protection services raising on proper hygiene practices for of Health and distributing hygiene and to street children in Djibouti city. migrants and host communities. protection non-food items (soap, IOM is also providing multi-sectoral disinfectant, handwashing stations, masks As of 17 April 2020, the Ministry of Health has confirmed 732 COVID-19 on the economy, on 14 April, the Ports and Free cases of COVID-19 in Djibouti and two deaths. In the Balbala Zones Authority decided to grant a 82.5% reduction in port suburb in Djibouti, Al Rahma hospital has become a new tariffs for 60 days to all Ethiopian exports. This gesture in critical epicentre of epidemic. The establishment has been put in time was welcomed by the Ethiopian Prime Minister. The quarantine since by the Ministry of Health. The Government of Government confirmed that the road corridor to Ethiopia will Djibouti has reported testing 7,486 individuals and continues to remain open. All terminal handling charges will be free for strategically target people who have potentially come into Ethiopian exporters for 60 days, as a COVID-19 solidarity contact with those who tested positive for COVID-19. Cases measure. have also been confirmed in the Ali Sabieh region and in two IOM Regional Office for East Africa and the Horn of Africa refugee settlements located in the region. The Government appealed for 71.6 million dollars to help migrants and displaced extended the confinement measures by one week. people in the region to cope with the global public health As per the President’s instruction to mitigate the effects of emergency of COVID-19, including 2 million for Djibouti. Stéphanie Daviot Email: +253 21 32 04 50 or +253 21 35 72 80 [email protected] [email protected] www.iom.int/countries/djibouti F In the IOM-operated Migration Response Centre (MRC) in Obock, currently 57 vulnerable migrants including unaccompanied minors are provided with shelter, food, NFIs and medical assistance. Through the MRC, IOM provided 460 migrants including 419 men and 41 women in the government-managed Masagara site with food and NFIs (water, rice, oil, meal plates, hygiene kits, buckets, plastic basins, and tents). IOM offered medical assistance for a total of 72 migrants in the Masagara site, of which 68 received on-site consultation and treatment and 4 were transferred to the MRC for treatment. On 19 April, IOM distributed, in coordination with the ONARS (National Office of Assistance to the Refugees and the Disaster victims), hygiene kits for 200 migrants and host population in Dikhil. IOM created an online platform to provide to increase the awareness of migrants and host community in daily updates on the situation of stranded migrants in the Dikhil through door-to-door messaging and reached out to country: https://iom.maps.arcgis.com/apps/View/index.html? 8,839 people from 14 to 17 April. appid=9075ea256eb545e7a5252cea8893ee50&locale=fr. In Dikhil, Ethiopian trucks and traders frequently pass through the town to deliver commodities from the Port of Djibouti towards Ethiopia and vice versa. Truck drivers are invited to wash their hands at the handwashing stations while agents disinfect the truck and check the temperature of the drivers. In Obock and Tadjourah regions, IOM conducted awareness- raising sessions and reached out to 10,711 migrants and host communities. IOM donated hygiene and protective equipment (handwashing stations, soaps, disinfectant, masks, gloves) to medical centres in Djibouti City, Tadjourah and Arta, the National Police, Gendarmerie, the Prefecture of Obock and Djiboutian Red Crescent volunteers to contribute to the COVID-19 response. In addition, IOM provided food and non-food items to Caritas to support the assistance for street children during this COVID- f 19 period. IOM Djibouti continues to conduct data collection in the existing five flow monitoring points (FMPs) of Holl-Holl and Guelileh, Ali Sabieh region; Yoboki, Dikhil region; PK9, Tadjourah region; and Fantehero, Obock region. The data collected is utilized by IOM, the authorities and other actors responding to the pandemic to identify places of vulnerabilities and orient the response accordingly. The FMPs are also used to raise awareness about the risk of COVID-19. From 5 to 18 April, IOM raised awareness of 5,142 travellers and migrants on COVID-19. IOM started carrying out sensitization campaigns in Dikhil on 14 April. IOM is engaging 41 volunteers from the local authorities 2 .