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MENA Countries Showing Effects of Rush to Jump-start Economies

The latest coronavirus information and statistics for the Middle East and North Africa

Governments in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) could be moving too quickly to reopen their economies, with the easing of restrictions leading to a spike in the number of new coronavirus cases in numerous countries across the region.

According to a survey released on Thursday by the Guttman Center for Public Opinion and Policy Research at the Israel Democracy Institute (IDI), more than half (54.5%) of Israelis believe that there will be a “second wave” of COVID-19 – the disease caused by the pathogen – and 39% think that the reopening of the economy has been rushed.

Moreover, the eighth in a series of similar polls by the IDI found that the Israeli public’s perception of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s handling of the health crisis is changing.

“At the mid-point of the coronavirus, most Israelis expressed trust in Netanyahu,” Dr. Or Anabi, a researcher at the Guttman Center, told The Media Line. “In the last month, you can see a pretty steep decline in this trust.”

The drop in confidence also applies to Ministry of Finance officials, whom 38% of Israeli respondents expressed trust in, down from 47% in April. By contrast, 61% of those surveyed held Ministry of Health experts in high esteem.

Other nations in the MENA region are also under economic pressure to allows businesses to reopen.

But the latest statistics perhaps offer a cautionary tale.

Having reported 684 coronavirus cases and nine resulting deaths as of Friday, Jordan has managed to contain the outbreak better than most regional states. Nevertheless, the government on Thursday night imposed a three-day nationwide shutdown after a spike in new diagnoses.

“On the whole, [Jordanians have] adhered to the measures and appear to either trust the government or fear the repercussions of violating the restrictions,” Will Todman, an associate fellow in the Middle East Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told The Media Line.

Notably, Jordan is fining violators between 100 and 500 Jordanian dinars ($140-$700).

Meanwhile, Lebanon on Thursday extended its lockdown until June 7, whereas Iraq implemented a two-week shutdown in parts of Baghdad, after the easing of regulations in both countries increased the spread of the contagion.

“The [United Arab Emirates] has also re-imposed [various] restrictions and raised fines for violations in recent days,” the Center for Strategic and International Studies’ Todman said. “Authorities are particularly worried about a new wave of cases as people celebrate Eid,” which marks the end of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.

While Israel has not seen a jump in new cases even as most business sectors have resumed operations, the IDI survey shows that many remain on edge.

“We see people going to the beach and restaurants have reopened. It feels like we can go on with our lives, but no,” the IDI’s Anabi said. “There are still large amounts of Israelis afraid to get COVID-19.

“In people’s minds,” he concluded, “the coronavirus is still here.”

The latest COVID-19 numbers for the Middle East and North Africa as of 7 a.m. GMT on Friday.

Country Confirmed cases Deaths Recovered Active Cases
Afghanistan 8,676 193 938 7,545
Algeria 7,728 575 4,062 3,091
Bahrain 8,174 12 3,873 4,289
Cyprus 923 17 561 345
Djibouti 2,047 10 1,055 982
Egypt 15,003 696 4,217 10,090
Iran 129,341 7,249 100,564 21,528
Iraq 3,877 140 2,483 1,254
Israel 16,683 279 13,724 2,680
Jordan 684 9 457 218
Kuwait 18,609 129 5,205 13,275
Lebanon 1,024 26 663 335
Libya 71 3 35 33
Mauritania 173 5 7 161
Morocco 7,211 196 4,280 2,735
Oman 6,370 31 1,821 4,518
Pakistan 50,694 1,067 15,201 34,426
Palestinian Territories 423 2 346 75
Qatar 38,651 17 7,288 31,346
Saudi Arabia 65,077 351 36,040 28,686
Somalia 1,594 61 204 1,329
Sudan 3,138 121 309 2,708
Syria 58 3 36 19
Tunisia 1,046 47 883 116
Turkey 153,548 4,249 114,990 34,309
United Arab Emirates 26,898 237 12,755 13,906
Yemen 197 33 5 159
Total 567,918 15,758 332,002 220,158

 

COUNTRIES CASES* DEATHS* POPULATION
Czechia 8,757 306 10,706,636
Greece 2,853 168 10,428,885
Portugal 29,912 1,277 10,200,144
Jordan 684 9 10,190,738
Azerbaijan 3,749 44 10,128,038
Sweden 32,172 3,871 10,091,684
Honduras 3,204 156 9,884,814
UAE 26,898 237 9,875,638
Hungary 3,678 476 9,663,190
Tajikistan 2,350 44 9,509,944
Belarus 33,371 185 9,449,686
Austria 16,404 633 9,000,226
Papua New Guinea 8 0 8,925,443
Serbia 10,919 237 8,741,417
Switzerland 30,694 1,898 8,646,966
Israel 16,690 279 8,638,547
Togo 340 12 8,253,526
Sierra Leone 462 29 7,956,201
Hong Kong 1,064 4 7,489,597
Laos 19 0 7,262,376
Paraguay 836 11 7,121,704
*Worldometer update as of May 22
Population range from under 11 million to over 7 million