Somalia orders government employees to work from home

MOGADISHU, Somalia

Somalia instructed all government employees to work from home Wednesday following a surge in coronavirus infections.

The Labor Ministry directed all ministries and departments to allow staffers to work from home beginning Wednesday except directors and senior government staff.

The horn of African country has seen a rise in coronavirus deaths and cases in recent weeks as health officials investigate if a new variant of the virus is in Somalia.

Health Minister Fowzia Abikar Nur said Tuesday that samples from recent patients were sent abroad to be analyzed for variants.

Nine people died from COVID-19 and 100 tested positive for the virus on Tuesday.

Sheikh Nur Barud Gurhan, a well-known religious scholar in Somalia, died late Tuesday from COVID-19 in Mogadishu.