Afghanistan Has Confirmed Its First Case Of The Coronavirus

Reuters: Afghanistan confirms first coronavirus case in province bordering Iran

KABUL/HERAT (Reuters) - Afghanistan confirmed its first case of the coronavirus in the western province of Herat on Monday, declaring a state of emergency in a territory bordering Iran which itself reported a sharp rise in cases.

Dozens of cases of the virus, which originated in the central Chinese province of Hubei in December, have been confirmed in Iran where 12 people have died, the highest death toll outside of China.

"I ask people to try to stay at home and restrict their movements," Health Minister Ferozuddin Feroz told reporters, referring to Heart, the gateway to Iran.

Three suspected patients in Herat had recently returned from Iran, Dr Sayed Attaullah Sayedzai, head of the disease surveillance department at ministry of public health, said on Sunday.

The confirmed case was a 35-year-old who had recently returned from the city of Qom, home to the majority of Iran's coronavirus cases, and had now been placed in quarantine, Feroz said.

Afghanistan suspended all air and land movement to and from Iran over the weekend.

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WNU Editor: There is no way that Afghanistan can contain the spread of this outbreak.

Update: U.S. Military forces are monitoring the situation .... US forces in Afghanistan, CENTCOM monitoring coronavirus amid reports of infections in the region (Stars and Stripes)

More News On Afghanistan Now Confirming Its First Case Of The Coronavirus

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