As Libyan authorities confirmed three COVID-19 cases in the country as of March 28, 2020, they need to be prepared to limit the spread of the virus in overcrowded detention facilities and shelters for displaced people, Human Rights Watch said on Monday.

The Libyan Presidential Council has ordered an extension of curfew hours across Libya in order to try and contain what seems to be a growing number of Coronavirus cases in the war-ravaged country.

Libya’s justice ministry announced Sunday over 450 prisoners were being freed in a bid to protect against the spread of coronavirus in the wake of the war-torn country’s first declared infections.

The Libyan National Center for Disease Control has registered five new cases of Coronavirus, bringing the total cases in the country to eight.

The European Union (EU) and the United States yesterday called for a humanitarian truce in Libya’s fighting in order for the country to focus on fighting the Coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic.

Battles raged on several fronts in Libya on Friday after a night of heavy bombardment in Tripoli, combatants and residents said, despite the threat continued fighting poses to efforts to stop the coronavirus pandemic.

Visible efforts, making good optics, continue across Libya in an effort to mitigate against the spread of the Coronavirus (Covid-19) – in light of the country announcing its first, and so far, only case on Tuesday night.

Libya has registered first Coronavirus case for a man coming back from Saudi Arabia, according to the National Center for Disease Control.

Both the warring factions in Libya have imposed lockdowns to guard against the coronavirus but fighting is still going on, compounding difficulties the country faces in preparing to combat the disease.

Fighting around Tripoli has continued over the last few days in total disregard for the ‘‘humanitarian pause’’ agreed by both combatants as UNSMIL today strongly condemns the violations.