Life after lockdown- Afghanistan
Since March 14th, President Ashraf Ghani, recommended the citizens to keep away from large gatherings. Four days after this announcement, the Ministry of Interior Affairs banned all gatherings, specifically entertainment places, fitness clubs, sports grounds, swimming pools and wedding halls.
On March 24th, in Jalalabad, Nangarhar Province, strict measures were set restricting the movement of all citizens. The next day the Afghan Government did the same with the residents of Farah, Herat and Nimruz provinces, in addition they extended the lockdown to Kabul, Kandahar, and Logar provinces. This meant that all restaurants, hotels, gyms, and parks will remain closed, excluding grocery stores and banks; educational institutes and wedding halls were transformed into isolation centers in order to quarantine those who return from other countries.
As of May 19th 2020, there have been 7,653 positive cases, which include 850 recoveries and a total of 178 deaths across Afghanistan.
Afghanistan donated $1 million to the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation emergency fund to help fight COVID-19 on March 21st. April started with medical aid from the United Arab Emirates and China. On April 2nd, Uzbekistan declared that they would give aid to five of the northern provinces, the next day the World Bank authorized $100.4 million to help Afghanistan. Later on the European Union announced that they would provide technical support and €117 million, furthermore on April 20th, Turkey sent assistance and three days later a second shipment of medical equipment arrived from China.
On the first week of May the Qatari foundation sent medical equipment with a monetary value of over $2 million, Algharrafa provided £1 million aid together with the construction of a hospital in Farah Province, the World Bank confirmed a $400 million endowment for Afghanistan, and the Kayehan Foundation, based in the Netherlands, dispatched 200 sets of Plastic Process Equipment, masks and 10 medical machines to Jamhuriat Hospital in Kabul.
Throughout the lockdown in Kabul, the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation, and Livestock donated food that got distributed across the province. In April 2020, Amanullah Kaliwal gave away 500 masks a day, which had been sewn at home. On April 23rd, in western Kabul, medical workers distributed food and gloves to poor families. In the course of the lockdown, bread was given for free at bakeries across Afghanistan.
