Wednesday February 24, 2021
MOGADISHU (HOL) - Somalia has suspended applications and issuance of passports following the resurgence of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The department of immigration said in a statement Wednesday it not be accepting applications or issuing new passports from February 27.
The move, the department said was to limit the spread of the virus.
The decision comes amid rising cases of COVID-19 in the country in the last two weeks.
A further 198 people contracted the disease Tuesday out of 823 tests in addition to a continued streak of over 200 cases recorded in subsequent days in the last two weeks.
Meanwhile, HOL has learnt that the COVID-19 designated facility de-Martini hospital in Mogadishu has recorded several admissions among them Somalis who travelled from the UK, raising fears a new variant of the disease had landed in the country.
There is no official word from the Ministry of Health on the discovery of a new variant in the country.
Foreign Affairs Minister Mohamed Abdirizak confirmed Wednesday he had contracted COVID-19 and that he was currently in isolation.