COVID-19 pandemic in Yemen

The first case was confirmed on 10 April, the patient was a 60-year-old man in the southern oil-producing region of Hadhramaut. He remains in stable condition. Authorities have since sealed off the port where the man worked and told other employees to self-isolate for two weeks. The neighbouring regions of Shabwah and al-Mahrah sealed their borders with Hadhramaut, where a 12-hour nightly curfew has been imposed.[8]

On 23 April, Hadramout Governor Faraj Salmin Al-Bahsni said in an interview with Al-Arabiya television that the result of the last examination the person had undergone on 22 April after he recovered was negative.[9]

On 29 April, Yemen recorded five new cases of coronavirus, including two deaths, all in the southern Yemeni port city of Aden.[10]

Two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters there has been at least one confirmed case in Houthi-controlled Sanaa, but the movement’s health ministry denied this and said all suspected cases had tested negative for COVID-19.[11]

On 1 May, Yemen reported its first case in the southwestern Governorate of Taiz.[12]

On 2 May, three more cases were confirmed, one in Taiz Governorate and two in Aden city. The new case in Taiz had been in contact with the southwestern province's first infection.[13]

On 4 May, two new cases were reported in Hadhramaut.[14]

On 5 May, the government in the south reported 9 new infections, eight in Aden, along with one new death and one case in Hadhramaut. The Houthis reported their first case, a Somali national, who was found dead in a hotel in Sanaa on 3 May.[15]

On 6 May, Yemen reported its first three cases, including a death in Lahij Governorate and another infection in Aden. The emergency coronavirus committee of Yemen’s Saudi-backed government also said one COVID-19 patient diagnosed earlier in Taiz province had died.[16]

On 8 May, Yemen reported nine new coronavirus cases in Aden, the interim headquarters of the government, including one death, and said a second person infected in the southern province of Lahaj had died.[17]

On 9 May, a new case of coronavirus was discovered in Sanaa, which was transmitted from Aden, Houthi's health ministry said in a statement.[18]

On 28 May, a statement from the United Nations and its agencies outlined the dire impact COVID-19 had on Yemenis. Yemen's embattled health care system is near collapse due to the addition strain from COVID-19. Only half of health facilities are in operation, with most lacking personal protective equipment (PPE), oxygen supplies, and clean water. Most health-workers and front-line aid workers are reportedly working without protective equipment and salaries.[19] A press release from the United Nation's Children Fund (UNICEF) indicated that another 5 million children had been put out of school due to school closures, adding to the already 2 million children who were out of school prior to the pandemic.[20]