ReliefWeb

This report is prepared under the auspices of the National Emergency Coordination Center for COVID-19 response, led by the National Disaster Risk Management Commission (NDRMC), supported by OCHA Ethiopia with participation of Cluster Coordinators. It covers the period from 7 - 18 May 2020.

Highlights

• As of 18 May, Ethiopia reports 352 confirmed COVID-19 cases compared to 145 on 5 May. The cumulative number of people recovered has reached 116, while the number of deaths has increased to five. Cases have been registered in all regions, except Gambela and Harari. Addis Ababa counts a total of 219 cases. (Source: MoH/ Ethiopia Public Health Institute, EPHI).

• COVID-19 and other new emergencies such as flooding, cholera cases observed, and desert locust are stretching the capacity of Government and relief partners.

• The influx of deportees/ returning migrants through formal/ informal border crossing points, poor interregional linkages, management of quarantine centers, poor adherence to risk communication, and inadequate logistics remain. On 14 May, Emergency Coordination Center (ECC) endorsed Standard Operating Procedures (SoP) for returning migrants to ensure better coordination and standardization of the response across the country.

• The Ethiopia Red Cross Society, in partnership with ICRC, is distributing PPEs/ NFIs in regional quarantine centers (QCs), and received ETB16 million from UNICEF to strengthen Risk communication and Community engagement (RCCE) in Points of Entry (PoE) and QCs. Reportedly, the ERCS is setting up tents for registration and reception at Bole International Airport in Addis Ababa.

• Humanitarian partners continue to deliver at scale, adapting operations to COVID-19. The Humanitarian group of INGOs in Ethiopia (HINGO) has announced it has collectively re-programmed activities worth US$70 million, while the UN has re-programmed over US$80 million in support to “Ethiopia COVID-19 National Emergency Response Plan”.

• COVID-19 State of Emergency related restrictions have eased through the country, with the exception of Tigray region.
  As a result, partners’ staff movements and field missions continue with the necessary precautionary measures.

• According to WFP, COVID-19 will impact food security, in particular the urban poor and those in informal sectors, the Food Cluster estimates an additional nine million people will require food aid/ emergency cash transfers in 2020.

• According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Ethiopia is facing an economic slowdown and some balance of payments need owing to COVID-19. IMF has approved US$411 million emergency assistance and announced the country will also benefit from IMF debt service relief under the Catastrophe Containment and Relief Trust.

• In Ethiopia, the national resource mobilization endeavor has fundraised over US$567 million for COVID-19 response.

• At the global level, over US$1.01 billion has been made available against the revised requirements of US$6.71 billion (15 per cent) presented in the 7 May update of the Global Humanitarian Response Plan. Of this amount, US$204 million have been provided by the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) and Country-Based Pooled Funds.