Ethiopia to start mask-wearing campaign on campus to fight COVID-19

Ethiopia will soon launch a mask-wearing campaign in schools nationwide amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Ethiopia Ministry of Education said on Wednesday.

The campaign, dubbed "No Mask No Service in Schools," is aimed at boosting awareness of wearing masks to fight the virus in schools across the country, the ministry said in a statement.

According to Getahun Mekuria, Ethiopia's Minister of Education, the upcoming nationwide initiative, which will be held early next week, also seeks to recruit teachers and students as "Mask Bearer Ambassadors" to promote mask-wearing in their communities.

Last October, the Ethiopian government distributed about 50 million face masks to about 46,000 schools across the country as classes resumed after months of closure.

As Africa's second-most populous nation, Ethiopia is one of the countries hardest hit by the pandemic in Africa, after South Africa, Morocco, Tunisia and Egypt.

The Ethiopian government has been urging the public to implement precautionary measures to contain the spread of the virus. (/Xinhua)

( With inputs from ANI )