Libyan Officials Warn of Virus Surge during Eid al-Fitr Celebrations

Part of an awareness campaign in the Jafara Plain on the importance of receiving the COVID-19 vaccine. (National Center for Disease Control)
Part of an awareness campaign in the Jafara Plain on the importance of receiving the COVID-19 vaccine. (National Center for Disease Control)
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Libyan Officials Warn of Virus Surge during Eid al-Fitr Celebrations

Part of an awareness campaign in the Jafara Plain on the importance of receiving the COVID-19 vaccine. (National Center for Disease Control)
Part of an awareness campaign in the Jafara Plain on the importance of receiving the COVID-19 vaccine. (National Center for Disease Control)

Libyan officials voiced concern over a possible hike in COVID-19 infections during Eid al-Fitr after the country reported a decline in cases.

Member of the Epidemiology Committee at the National Center for Disease Control (NCDC) Tarek Jibril urged all citizens to comply with health-preventive measures during the holiday.

He also said it was unlikely for the country to register the Indian coronavirus strain amid the current imposed measures.

In televised statements on Tuesday, Jibril said the country is recording an average of 315 daily coronavirus cases.

“This rate is considered low compared to the past months,” he noted.

Meanwhile, Dr. Bader al-Din al-Najjar, the NCDC Head, called on citizens to adhere to the imposed precautionary measures by maintaining social distancing. He also urged shop owners to prevent customers from gathering and oblige them to wear masks.

According to the NCDC, Libya registered 181,000 infections, including 16,7043 recoveries and 3,000 deaths.

Almost 100,000 citizens have received the first COVID-19 shot, said Najjar, pointing out that the national inoculation drive is proceeding “at an excellent pace, and will include all municipalities after Eid al-Fitr.”

Najjar further reassured people about the safety and efficacy of the vaccines, citing researches published in major international medical reports.

He affirmed that the first dose provides the needed protection to prevent death or dangerous complications from the virus.

The Risk Communication and Community Engagement (RCCE) Campaign to support social mobilization and raise awareness on the COVID-19 vaccination, which was launched by the UNICEF in coordination with the NCDC earlier in April, is proceeding as scheduled, the Center said.



Survivors, Bodies Recovered from Capsized Red Sea Tourist Boat

25 November 2024, Egypt: Red Sea Governor Amr Hanafi (R) checks on tourists rescued from capsized tourist boat called "Sea Story" that sank off Egypt's Red Sea coast. (Red Sea Governorate/dpa)
25 November 2024, Egypt: Red Sea Governor Amr Hanafi (R) checks on tourists rescued from capsized tourist boat called "Sea Story" that sank off Egypt's Red Sea coast. (Red Sea Governorate/dpa)
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Survivors, Bodies Recovered from Capsized Red Sea Tourist Boat

25 November 2024, Egypt: Red Sea Governor Amr Hanafi (R) checks on tourists rescued from capsized tourist boat called "Sea Story" that sank off Egypt's Red Sea coast. (Red Sea Governorate/dpa)
25 November 2024, Egypt: Red Sea Governor Amr Hanafi (R) checks on tourists rescued from capsized tourist boat called "Sea Story" that sank off Egypt's Red Sea coast. (Red Sea Governorate/dpa)

Rescuers on Tuesday recovered five survivors and four bodies from a dive boat that capsized off Egypt's eastern coast a day earlier, Red Sea governor Amr Hanafi said.  

A military-led team rescued two Belgians, one Swiss national, one Finnish tourist and one Egyptian, the governor said, bringing the total number of survivors from the accident to 33.  

The "Sea Story" had been carrying 31 tourists of multiple nationalities and a 13-member crew when it was hit by a large wave near Marsa Alam in southeastern Egypt early on Monday, causing it to capsize.

The four bodies recovered on Tuesday have not yet been identified, and eight people are still missing after 28 were rescued on Monday.

A government source close to rescue operations said the five survivors were found on Tuesday morning inside the boat, which the governor said had been thrown on its side by an early morning wave but had not completely sunk.  

The group had spent at least 24 hours in the overturned vessel after authorities first received distress calls at 5:30 AM (0330 GMT) on Monday.  

"Rescue operations are ongoing today, supported by a military helicopter and a frigate in addition to multiple divers," the Red Sea governor told AFP Tuesday, declining to provide any further details about the operation.  

The four bodies recovered on Tuesday were also located inside the stricken vessel.  

The boat had embarked on a multi-day diving trip on Sunday and had been due to dock on Friday at the town of Hurghada, 200 kilometers (124 miles) north.  

The governor on Monday said it capsized "suddenly and quickly within 5-7 minutes" of the impact with the wave, leaving some passengers -- among them European, Chinese and American tourists -- unable to set out of their cabins in time.  

- Still missing -  

Rescuers from the military and a passing tourist boat pulled 28 people from the water on Monday.  

According to a source at a hospital in Marsa Alam, six tourists and three Egyptians were admitted with minor injuries and discharged on Monday.   

According to the governor's office, the boat was carrying tourists from Belgium, Britain, China, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Poland, Slovakia, Spain, Switzerland and the United States.  

Among the missing are two Polish tourists and one from Finland, according to both countries' foreign ministries.  

Authorities in Egypt have said the vessel was fully licensed and had passed all inspection checks. A preliminary investigation showed no technical fault.  

There were at least two similar boat accidents in the Marsa Alam area earlier this year, but no fatalities.  

The Red Sea coast is a major tourist destination in Egypt, a country of 107 million that is in the grip of a serious economic crisis.  

Nationally, the tourism sector employs two million people and generates more than 10 percent of its GDP.  

Dozens of dive boats crisscross between Red Sea coral reefs and islands off Egypt's eastern coast every day, where safety regulations are robust but unevenly enforced.