HIGHLIGHTSAs of 20 September, there were 1,517,312 reported cases of COVID-19 within the countries in which WFP is active in the region. There has been a 15 percent increase in cases over the last two weeks (6 September – 20 September) and a 29 percent increase in cases over the last month (24 August – 20 September). However, several other countries such as Egypt, Libya, Iraq, Sudan and Yemen have postponed the beginning of the next academic year due to COVID-19. A total of USD 1.7 billion is required to maintain WFP activities in the region for the next six months (October 2020 to March 2021). This represents 66 percent of the total requirements for the same period (of USD 2.7 billion).

Source: The North Africa Journal September 10, 2020 19:41 UTC