One of the most important ways to prevent coronavirus is social distancing and keeping a safe distance not less than two meters. However, this is not possible for Libyans at the banks in light of cash shortages and unpaid salaries of 3 months since the the start of 2020.
Crowds and endless queues in front of the banks’ windows, Libyans have been accustomed to such chaos for several years.
Promises and instructions issued by many responsible authorities in Libya from all parties to prevent crowds without offering clear mechanisms to eliminate this dilemma, citizens lost confidence in the banking system and the current conditions that necessitated the imposition of the curfew require them to store enough supplies for several days.
In light of the cash shortages, many families face hardships in providing their basic needs after prices increased significantly in the absence of price controls and in lack of control over merchants and their goods’ prices.
Information and instructions described by observers as “ink on paper” in the absence of clear mechanisms to apply them on the ground so that the door becomes open to recording more cases infected with the Coronavirus.
Meanwhile, Libyans found themselves between two options, either starvation or death by the Coronavirus in the lines of banks that they did not find an alternative for because of the absence of online services.
