Surge in Coronavirus Cases Overwhelms Algeria’s Hospitals

A vegetable vendor talks to a client at a food market in Algiers, Algeria, Tuesday April 21, 2020. (AP)
A vegetable vendor talks to a client at a food market in Algiers, Algeria, Tuesday April 21, 2020. (AP)
TT
20

Surge in Coronavirus Cases Overwhelms Algeria’s Hospitals

A vegetable vendor talks to a client at a food market in Algiers, Algeria, Tuesday April 21, 2020. (AP)
A vegetable vendor talks to a client at a food market in Algiers, Algeria, Tuesday April 21, 2020. (AP)

Algeria’s hospitals are struggling to cope with the surge of COVID-19 cases amid a shortage of hospital beds and medical equipment.

Doctors in the south, especially in the Biskra governorate, where infection rates are on the rise every day, have called out for help to provide respiratory equipment for hundreds of cases that deteriorated in recent days.

A nurse at the Central Hospital in Biskra, who declined to be named, told Asharq Al-Awsat that all of the departments were allocated to coronavirus treatment a month ago.

He warned that the hospital can no longer receive more patients, adding that it only has 120 ventilators, while more than 200 people suffer from breathing difficulties and need urgent help or they will die.

The nurse revealed that dozens of the patients come from neighboring towns with symptoms of COVID-19, and in most cases, they are instructed to buy a medicine from pharmacies and isolate at home.

However, they noticed that many of the patients did not heed the warnings and have headed out to markets where they came in contact with people, leading to a rise in infections in recent days, he added.

Hospitals in Setif in the east, the second most populated governorate in the country after Algiers, is suffering from a similar situation.

Its medical capabilities are limited, according to member of National Union of Public Health Doctors Odiya Fateh, who added that a surge in cases was expected after authorities lifted the lockdown at the end of the holy fasting month of Ramadan.

Fateh stated that hospitals in the region cannot take in more patients, saying the situation is “catastrophic” and dozens of doctors are dying every day, while the government claims it is able to cope with the crisis.

The Ministry of Interior imposed a 15-days partial lockdown in 18 municipalities in Setif after the surge in COVID-19 cases. The lockdown will start from 1 pm to 5 am, starting Wednesday until July 23.

According to the Ministry, the lockdown will see the complete suspension of all commercial, economic and social activities, including transportation.



France Renews ‘Unwavering Position’ on Morocco’s Sovereignty Over Sahara

French President Emmanuel Macron and Morocco’s King Mohammed VI meet in October 2024. (MAP
French President Emmanuel Macron and Morocco’s King Mohammed VI meet in October 2024. (MAP
TT
20

France Renews ‘Unwavering Position’ on Morocco’s Sovereignty Over Sahara

French President Emmanuel Macron and Morocco’s King Mohammed VI meet in October 2024. (MAP
French President Emmanuel Macron and Morocco’s King Mohammed VI meet in October 2024. (MAP

France on Tuesday underscored its “unwavering” position on the issue of the Moroccan Sahara, in a statement released by the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs following a meeting between French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot and his Moroccan counterpart Nasser Bourita.

The statement reiterates the position expressed by President Emmanuel Macron to King Mohammed VI in his letter dated July 30, 2024, according to Morocco’s news agency, MAP.

Macron’s letter emphasizes that “for France, the present and future of Western Sahara lie within the framework of Moroccan sovereignty,” while recalling the “unwavering nature of France’s position” and its commitment to “act consistently with this position at both the national and international levels.”

According to the French Ministry statement, Barrot stressed France’s “clear and consistent support for the autonomy plan under Moroccan sovereignty.”

He described it as “the only framework within which this issue should be resolved”, underlining that it is “the sole basis” for reaching a political solution.

Noting the “growing international consensus” in support of Morocco’s autonomy initiative, Barrot also stated that France intends to fully contribute to this momentum.

Moreover, France reaffirmed its commitment “to support Morocco’s significant efforts in promoting economic and social development” in the southern provinces of the Kingdom, highlighting the various measures taken in this regard and expressing its willingness to continue this dynamic.

The statement came hours after Bourita met with Barrot in Rabat. The officials vowed to bolster their cooperation and to deepen the “exceptional partnership” between their countries launched during Macron’s visit to Morocco in October.