Abdullahi Abdi Hirsi, the Puntland Minister for Commerce, has tested positive to COVID-19. The minister confirmed this news himself during a press conference issued from his office.
Over the weekend, numerous reports emerged indicating that several members of President Said Deni’s administration had tested positive to Coronavirus.
Until now, nobody had come forward with names of the top government officials diagnosed with the virulent disease.
Hirsi said that he was tested after displaying mild symptoms commonly associated with the disease before his results returned positive.
Consequently, he has become the first senior official in President Deni’s administration to contract the disease, which has wreaked havoc globally.
The minister said that he hopes “to recover soon.”
In the meantime, he asked his colleagues and the people of Somaliland to battle “the monster” of COVID-19 “as a team.”
As of Sunday, Somaliland had recorded 88 COVID-19 cases with fears that the number could balloon out of control.