On 21 March, the first case in Eritrea was confirmed in Asmara; the index case was an Eritrean national arriving from Norway. There were 15 confirmed cases in March. All 15 remained active at the end of the month.
April 2020
Eritrea announced a 21-day lockdown beginning April 2. That lockdown was subsequently extended further. On 9 April, Eritrea recorded two new cases, two Eritreans aged 30 and 62, both of whom had returned to the country before the flight ban, thus bringing the country's total infections to 33. The total number of confirmed cases reached 39 in April, 24 more than in March. 26 of the 39 patients recovered in April, leaving 13 active cases at the end of the month.
May 2020
On 15 May, the Eritrean Health Ministry confirmed that the 39th and final case of COVID-19 in the country had fully recovered. For the rest of the month there were no active cases.
June 2020
On 13 June, a further 31 positive cases were confirmed, 30 of whom had returned from Sudan, and one from Ethiopia. During the month there were 164 positive cases, raising the total number of confirmed cases since the start of the outbreak to 203. 53 patients recovered in June, leaving 150 active cases at the end of the month.
July 2020
In July there were 76 new cases, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 279. The number of recovered patients grew by 172 to 225, leaving 54 active cases at the end of the month.
August 2020
Preventative measures
As a precautionary measure, the government has urged people not to travel to or from the country, and as of 2020, was quarantining any incoming travellers who have recently been in China, Italy, South Korea, or Iran. The government put in guidelines forbidding overcharging on goods during the lockdown. Enforcement of these measured have been reported in jurisdictions like Massawa. As the pandemic became more serious, the government decreed a nationwide lockdown, banning on all non-essential local and international flights. During the international travel ban, returning Eritreans are subject to mandatory quarantine; as of June 16, 2020 there were 3,405 people still in quarantine across 47 quarantine centers in the country.
Diaspora response
Diaspora communities have been sending large volumes of money to support relief efforts in the country. For example, Eritrean Americans have sent at least US$4 million, according to the US embassy in Eritrea.
