ReliefWeb

Situation Overview

In June 2020, 835 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 were reported across Yemen with 232 associated deaths, an increase from 321 cases reported in May and 79 deaths. By 30 June, the authorities had reported a total of 1,162 cases across the country since the first case was reported on 10 April, including 313 deaths and 490 recoveries. Aid agencies have for months been operating on the basis that there is full-blown community transmission of COVID-19 in Yemen and they continued to focus efforts on suppressing transmission of the virus, procuring and distributing thousands of metric tons of supplies and equipment, supporting COVID-19 clinical readiness, and safeguarding the public health system.

The fuel crisis that hit the country in June is threatening access to food, hospital operations, and water supplies which are fuel-dependent and crucial to preventing virus transmission to the response. In addition, COVID-19 is contributing to an economic downturn in Yemen, risking families' ability to meet their basic needs, and increasing humanitarian needs and vulnerability to the virus. Eighty per cent of remittances, worth $3.8 billion in 2019, have dried up; there has been a hike in the cost of the minimum food basket by as much as 35 per cent in some areas, and the Yemeni rial is depreciating. Both the COVID-19 and broader humanitarian response remain hugely underfunded, risking an increase in the spread of COVID-19 and jeopardizing the ability of humanitarian partners to respond.