In his first public appearance since April 18, President of Somaliland Musa Bihi Abdi today inspected the ministry of health which is overseeing the state’s response to the coronavirus pandemic. In a press conference at the end of his inspection tour, the president has declared that the Covid-19 pandemic situation in the country is a terrible and that every one in Somaliland is risk of contracting the deadly virus. He said that Somaliland has entered a new phase of the pandemic. The President said, “We have entered a new phase of the pandemic starting the day before yesterday. Before that we worked on preventing the disease from coming to our country. The virus has come to our country now. This is not just a disease. It is an enemy. It is like a fire.” In this regard, the president announced that Somaliland will not mark the Independence days of 18 May and 26th June this year in the usual fashion. Bihi said, “There won’t be parades and public gatherings because of the risk of the coronavirus infections.” On the other hand, the president admonished religious leaders for insisting on holding congregational prayers at the time of this pandemic. He revealed that mosque imams and Islamic sect of the mobile group Jama Tabliq have tested positive for Covid-19. The president’s appearance today puts to rest the rumors about his well-being that emerged on Friday. It was alleged that the president was flown abroad to receive emergency treatment.
