Re-assessment of national emergency measures introduced to combat and prevent the spread of the COVID 19 pandemic

The Somaliland National Emergency Preparedness & Response Committee for the COVID-19 pandemic, which is lead and chaired by the Vice President; his Excellency Abdirahman Abdillahi Ismail (Saylici); has introduced a wide raging and far reaching emergency national measures in order to control and prevent the spread of the Corona virus pandemic. The measures introduced by the COVID19 National Committee has restricted social gathering and limited freedom of movement and impeded the economic activities of citizens, businesses and services provisions across the country. Similarly, the measures imposed by the National Committee also halted completely all aviation travel, sea travel and trans-border travel from regional neighbouring countries coming from or going out of Somaliland. Similarly, the closure, of educational institutions caused challenges in the following areas: Access to Education, quality of education. exam presence and governance

In this regard:

• The National COVID-19 Committee having considered the grave and prevalent risks still posed by the Coronavirus disease which continues to spread within the community despite the utmost efforts and personal sacrifices of every citizen to help the government curve and control the spread of the Corona virus in Somaliland,
• The NationaLCOVID-19 Committee having given serious consideration to reducing the severe limitations placed on the civil liberties and socio freedoms of our citizens which have persevered and curbed their liberties during this pandemic,
• The National COVID-19 Committee having seriously considered the detrimental socioeconomic impact the strict restriction has induced on the lives and livelihoods of our citizens and indeed our national economy,
• The National COVID-19 Committee having seriously considered the closure of schools, colleges and universities not only interrupts the teaching for students but also coincides with a key assessment period and many exams have been postponed or cancelled and this can can have harmful long-term consequences,
• The National COVID-19 Committee having now fully considered all of the above-mentioned implications and verily considered the severe impacts and threats posed by the Corona virus pandemic to our nation,

Accordingly, the National COVID-19 Committee now considers it imperative and urgent to re-assess and review thoroughly the wide-reaching emergency measures and restrictions previously introduced to curve the spread and protect the nation from the Corona-virus pandemic.

Subsequently, the committee is now prudent to respectfully share with citizens, domestic and international COVID-19 stakeholders and also all other parties concerned the new recommendation arising from the re-assessment and re-evaluation all the previously by the National COVID-19 Committee imposed emergency Corona-virus prevention restrictive measures.

Henceforth, the National COVID-19 Committee duly notifies Somaliland citizens and all those concerned the following new national directives;

1. Commencing from 30/06/2020, the National Committee hereby completely lifts and all COVID-19 emergency prevention measures and restrictions previously placed on public /commercial services and all economic trade activities in Somaliland; i.e. this directive extends to educational institutions, all national trade services, hotels, markets and transportation services, etc. However, the National COVID-19 Committee also duly urges and informs Somaliland citizens and all those concerned to enforce and adhere to the public protection protocols and service access basic requirements introduced by the government of Somaliland in order to prevent the spread of the Corona-virus within the community.
2. Commencing from 30/06/2020, the national committee lifts all restriction previously placed on national aviation services; including all flights and passengers arriving or departing from national airports in Somaliland. Accordingly, the national committee all restriction previously placed on reqional trans-border travel including restrictions placed at border entry at both land and sea entry

However, the national committee also urges all those concerned to adhere to and enforce the public protection and service access requirements still in place to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus.

1. The National Committee hereby finally notifies all travellers arriving from international countries planning to travel to Somaliland airports; will be required to underqo a medical test in the country they are travellinq from which must be presented with a neqative COVID-19 test certificate upon arrival at Somaliland point of entries (air, land and sea). Accordingly, the neqative test certificate must be valid within four days period of the planned arrival date at Somaliland border point of entries. The National Committee hereby informs those travellers without the negative COVID-19 test certificate will not be permitted automatically to enter Somaliland and thus will be placed into Mandatory Quarantine, which the traveller will be required to pay all the related expenses during the quarantine period.

1. The preventive and protective protocols still actively in place to control the spread of the Corona-virus disease are critical directives introduced by the National COVID-19 Response and Coordination Committee has the legal and implementing powers; thus, any violations of the directives will be fully prosecuted under national laws by the relevant national law enforcement agencies.

NB: all the new COVID- 19 preventive protocols will be published on social media platforms: newspapers, magazines, websites and are available at Somaliland border point of entries.