Amid the rapid spread of COVID-19 in Ethiopia, the Ministry of Transport reportedly started an internet-based transportation payment service. According to an international media outlet, the Ethiopian government on June 19 officially launched service in a bid to reduce physical contact which was created because of the high numbers of ticket purchasers.
The new initiative by the Ministry of Transport is reportedly expected to play a vital role in leading the sector with technology, preventing the deadly spread of coronavirus and also reducing wait times and expenses for customers. While speaking to the media outlet, Dagmawit Moges, who is the minister of Transport, said that the new system will allow travellers to book tickets with their mobile phones without having to be physically present at the bus stations.
Moges informed that a team of experts from the Technology and Innovation Institute have developed an online system to process ‘special permits’ for private vehicles. Furthermore, the Ethiopian authorities also deployed a team of professionals tasked with ensuring the constant implementation of health standards across the transport sector of the country.
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COVID-19 outbreak
The new system comes after Ethiopia reportedly recorded the highest daily increase in the country. Currently, as per Johns Hopkins University tally, the country has over 4,500 confirmed COVID-19 cases and the deadly virus has claimed nearly 74 lives. Even though the country has managed to curb the spread in comparison to other nations, the Health Ministry on June 20 said that in a recent medical test of over 4,800 people, around 399 of them tested positive.
While the majority of the positive cases were confirmed to be Ethiopian nationals, the ministry also said that some were foreign nationals as well. The East-African country is the second-most populous nation in the continent. The government has also reportedly instituted a wide range of measures to contain the spread of the deadly virus. Back in April, the government also announced a five-month state of emergency to curb the spread in the country.
Source: Republic World
