| COVID-19 pandemic in Djibouti | |
|---|---|
| Disease | COVID-19 |
| Virus strain | SARS-CoV-2 |
| Location | Djibouti |
| First outbreak | Wuhan, Hubei, China |
| Index case | Djibouti |
| Arrival date | 14 March 2020 (4 years, 8 months, 2 weeks and 6 days) |
| Confirmed cases | 1,268 (As of 13 May)[1][2] |
| Active cases | 365 (As of 13 May) |
| Recovered | 900 (As of 13 May)[1] |
Deaths | 3 (As of 13 May)[1] |
The COVID-19 pandemic spread to Djibouti in March 2020. It is a new infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).
On 18 March, the first COVID-19 case in Djibouti was confirmed, in a member of the Spanish Special Forces who arrived on 14 March for Operation Atalanta and tested positive on 17 March.[3][4]
A contractor working for the United States Department of Defense at Camp Lemonnier, the largest and only permanent US military base in Djibouti, tested positive for COVID-19 the same month.[5] A total of 30 cases were confirmed by the end of March.[6]
On 2 April, the World Bank approved US$5 million in emergency funding for Djibouti as part of the Djibouti COVID-19 Response Project.[7]
By 5 April, the number of confirmed cases had risen to 59.[8]
On 9 April, Djibouti recorded its first coronavirus death. There were 140 people infected with COVID-19, while 28 people recovered.[9]
On 23 April, the US military in Djibouti declared a public health emergency.
A second case in Camp Lemonnier was confirmed in late April,[10] triggering a permanent lockdown.[11]