Authorities in Puntland plan to airlift a cabinet minister diagnosed with COVID-19 to Turkey for treatment.
The Puntland administration announced plans to charter a special plane for the ailing minister as soon as possible.
Ismail Dirie Gamadid, the Minister of Environment and Agriculture under the administration of President Said Abdullahi Dani, has been in isolation in Garowe.
However, his situation has not improved hence the decision by the government to airlift him to Turkey for further treatment.
A plane has already transferred him from Garowe to Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia. He is expected to be in Mogadishu briefly before commencing the journey to Ankara.
According to health officials in Puntland, Gamadid has recovered from COVID-19 but the disease has left his lungs and respiratory system in poor condition.