Government’s recklessness speeding up COVID-19 outbreak

Some members of parliament say that the Coronavirus test-taking has been facing challenges in Herat and that most of the provinces have not received the protection and testing kits for the virus.

The increase in the spread of the deadly COVID-19 has concerned the Afghan parliament. It blames the government for the inability to fight the pandemic. It warns that if the government had taken the quarantine at the borders seriously, the virus would not have spread much.

Ghulam Farooq Majrooh, Herat MP, says: “The number of the infected goes higher every day. If the government had applied the quarantine at the borders, the virus would not have transmitted to other provinces. There are still patients in Herat who have not been tested yet.”

Nahid Farid, Herat MP, says, “Herat has been facing lack of testing kits. Recently, no tests have been conducted there. Unfortunately, deaths of the infected have been to 50%. The government only wants us to vote – it doesn’t care for real.”

Farid Bikzad, Badghis MP, says, “There are no facilities to fight the Coronavirus in Badghis, although there are people there who have recently returned from Iran.”

In the meantime, Mir Rahman Rahmani, head of the parliament, says, “The ministry of health should equally reach out to all provinces and provide medical aid for the people to stay immune against the Coronavirus.”

Members of the Afghan parliament underline that if politics are involved in the fight against the COVID-19, to control the virus in Afghanistan will be very difficult – more and more people will be exposed to the pandemic.