Yemen Fact Sheet, April 2020 [EN/AR]

Yemen is slowly being engulfed by the global pandemic of COVID-19, with more than 130 cases and 20 dead as of 19 May, including a Somali refugee in Sana’a. UNHCR successfully advocated for refuges to be included in the national public health response plan, and provided cash for both refugees and IDPs to buy additional hygiene material and address loss of livelihoods and restrictions of movements

The beneficiary families are being empowered to adopt preventative measures, such as physical distancing and being encouraged to use the handwashing stations installed. UNHCR’s partners are present at the borders to ensure refugees are protected including against refoulement. Personal protective equipment (PPE) were distributed to all partners in the field, and distribution modalities have been adapted.

The rainy season had begun in Yemen, starting from the southern governorates. Shelter Cluster’s flash report on the torrential rain and floods mentioned that more than 150,000 people) were affected in the last two weeks, and more than 5,000 families of them were IDPs. UNHCR provided replenishments of spoilt emergency items, cash for 4,750 families and protection services for the affected individuals