By Sami Zaptia.
London, 7 April 2020:
Libya announced another case of Coronavirus (Covid-19) last night, bringing the total cases in the country to 19. But it also announced cases of recovery.
Libya’s officially announced Coronavirus cases
| Date of announcement | No. of cases | No. of deaths | Recoveries | |
| 1 | 24 March | 1 | – | – |
| 2 | 28 March | 2 | – | – |
| 3 | 29 March | 5 | – | – |
| 4 | 31 March | 2 | – | – |
| 5 | 2 April | 1 | 1 | – |
| 6 | 3 April | 6 | – | – |
| 7 | 5 April | 1 | – | – |
| 8 | 6 April | 1 | – | 1 |
| Total: | 19 | 1 | 1 |
The country’s National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) said that it had received a total of 14 samples to check and that 13 samples turned out to be negative.
On a positive note, the NCDC confirmed long leaked rumours by the patient’s family that Libya’s first Coronavirus case announced on 24 March had fully recovered. At a press conference last night, it said after receiving two consecutive negative tests from the patient he was given the all clear.
It also revealed that Libya’s second Coronavirus case was also recovering.
The NCDC reiterated that the newly refurbished Zaweet Al-Dihmany clinic will be the first point for testing suspected Coronavirus cases. The NCDC said that they were able to process test results in about three hours – a much shorter period of time than many other countries.
It also stressed that social distancing and the commitment to home quarantine are the first steps to the reduction and spread of the Coronavirus. With regards to the possibility of a 24-hour curfew being imposed in Libya, it said that would depend on the rate of spread of the virus.
The NCDC revealed no further details about the new case in its statement as in their gender or location.
