KABUL (SW) – Fears about the spread of Omicron, the new strain of the the COVID-19, has caused grim concerns among the residents of the Afghan capital, Kabul.
A number of capital city dwellers say they fear that this strain of the coronavirus, like other strains of the virus, will enter Afghanistan from neighboring countries.
According to them, although the spread rate of omicrons is high, but there is no plan on the measures taken by the Ministry of Public Health to deal with it. Residents of Kabul are urging Ministry of Health officials to take the virus seriously and to take steps to prevent it from entering the country.
“There is this new type of coronavirus in the world and a number of countries have imposed restrictions to prevent its spread, but the Afghan Ministry of Public Health has not yet taken any action and has not taken any measures,” said Mahdia, a Kabul resident.
“Afghanistan is one of the countries where the coronavirus could spread fast,” said Maryam, another Kabul resident. “The situation is worrying. If the virus spreads, the people and the government are responsible for it.”
But, officials at the Ministry of Public Health say they have taken steps to prevent the virus from entering Afghanistan.
“The Ministry of Public Health has taken measures to prevent the virus from entering Afghanistan from neighboring countries,” said Javed Hajir, a spokesman for the Ministry of Health. “We are appointing mobile teams and taking samples of suspicious travelers entering Afghanistan.”
Concerns about the Omicron entering Afghanistan come as the first positive case of the virus was reported in Iran last week. Due to the increasing number of Omicron cases in the world, a number of countries have imposed new travel restrictions to combat the spread of this type of coronavirus.
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