The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic was confirmed to have spread to Libya on 24 March 2020, when the first case was officially confirmed in Tripoli. Libya is considered especially vulnerable to the epidemic due to the effects from the ongoing Libyan Civil War, which has led to a dire humanitarian situation and a destruction of the nation's health infrastructure.
Prior to the coronavirus pandemic, Libya's healthcare system was already on the verge of collapse, given the chaos that has prevailed in the country since 2011. Warring factions in the Libyan Civil War disregarded repeated entreaties from the United Nations for a ceasefire during the pandemic. The internationally recognized Government of National Accord, based in Tripoli, and the rival government under Khalifa Haftar, based in eastern Libya, both took steps to control the spread of COVID-19, through the closure of schools, markets, and some businesses. Haftar's forces have attempted to take Tripoli, the Libyan capital, in an offensive that began in April 2019. Hundreds have been killed, and thousands have been displaced, in the fighting. On 24 March, Libya confirmed its first COVID-19 case, a 73-year-old man who had returned to the country on 5 March from a trip to Saudi Arabia. On 30 March, the GNA announced the release of 466 detainees in Tripoli, as part of an effort to stop the spread of the virus in prisons. By the end of March ten persons had tested positive for COVID-19. One patient had recovered and nine remained active cases at the end of the month.
April 2020
On 5 April, Mahmoud Jibril, age 68, who headed the interim National Transitional Council in 2011, died from COVID-19 in Cairo, Egypt, having been admitted to the hospital on March 21. On 6 April, forces under the command of Khalifa Haftar launched a Grad rocket attack against Al Khadra General Hospital, one of Tripoli's largest hospitals, injured six health workers and substantially damaged the hospital, where 300 patients, including two COVID-19 patients, were being treated. This was the third time that Haftar's forces attacked medical facilities during their intensified siege of Tripoli. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs condemned the attack as an "appalling" and "clear violation of international humanitarian law... It is unacceptable at a time when healthcare and health workers are vital in our fight against a global pandemic." The office stated that "This senseless escalation must stop so that health authorities and aid agencies can respond to COVID-19 and continue reaching people in need of urgent humanitarian assistance." Renewed rocket attacks against the hospital continued the following day. On 7 April, Eastern Libya confirmed its first case. By 7 April, Libya had confirmed 20 cases of COVID-19, mostly in western Libya. On 15 April, the Government of National Accord imposed a 24-hour curfew for a period of 10 days beginning on 17 April. During April there were 51 new cases, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 61. The number of recovered patients increased to 18, while three patients died. There were 40 active cases at the end of the month.
May 2020
In May there were 95 new cases, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 156. The death toll rose to 5. The number of recovered patients increased by 34 to 52, leaving 99 active cases at the end of the month.
June 2020
Cases doubled over a period of two weeks in June, while increased conflict, including targeting of health facilities, has left it difficult for medical teams to respond. On 26 June, the UN-backed government extended the 8pm to 6am curfew for two further weeks, as confirmed cases increased to 713. There were 668 new cases in June, raising the total number of confirmed cases to 824. The death toll rose by 19 to 24. The number of recovered patients grew by 157 to 209, leaving 591 active cases at the end of the month. Model-based simulations indicate that since early June, the 95% confidence interval for the time-varying reproduction numberR t has been fluctuating around 1.5.
