TRIPOLI, April 9 (Xinhua) -- Mohamed Makhluf, once a taxi driver in the Libyan capital Tripoli, now loses his job due to the impact of COVID-19.
The curfew imposed in Libya to fight the COVID-19 caused Makhluf, who worked as a taxi driver for 15 years, unemployed.
"This was my only source of income and now it stops because of the curfew," Makhluf told Xinhua.
The 44-year-old man's life is now more difficult and he is struggling to meet his daily needs.
"The sudden change put self-employed people out of business due to the outbreak of the coronavirus. If the situation continues until the end of this month, I may have to sell my taxi for the money that needs to meet the requirements of my 4-member family," he said.
Makhluf said the government should support self-employed people by allocating monthly financial grants to help them cushion the impact of the COVID-19.
Libya has recorded a total of 21 confirmed cases of COVID-19, including eight recoveries and one death, according to the National Center for Disease Control.
Libyan authorities have taken a series of measures against COVID-19, including closing airports, border crossings, mosques and educational institutions, banning mass gatherings and movements between cities, and imposing a curfew.
The UN-backed government also allocated half a billion dinars (352 million U.S. dollars) to fight the coronavirus.
Ibrahim Al-Msallati, owner of a private transport company, said that the taxi business has been completely damaged by the curfew as well as the travel ban between cities due to the COVID-19.
"My company has 14 taxis and 4 buses, all of which are completely suspended. Unfortunately, I have laid off all the workers until further notice, which means that 18 Libyan families have lost their main source of income," Al-Msallati told Xinhua.
"In Al-Maari Street in the center of the capital Tripoli, movement was restless throughout the day. More than 400 public and private transport vehicles of different sizes used to be operated here. Today, the street is completely empty," he explained.
There are nearly half a million taxis in Tripoli, which is nearly two-thirds of the number of vehicles in Libya, according to Ministry of Interior.
Due to the COVID-19, Libyan authorities only allow movements between cities for food, goods, medical professionals, and security personnel.
"Government employees have no problem because their monthly salaries are still being paid. Those who have been affected the most are Libyans with low incomes, and solution must be made for them quickly, because many of them have no source of income," Al-Msallati said.
Kamal Al-Mansouri, a Libyan economic analyst, believes that the government should offer help to the most vulnerable groups affected by the COVID-19.
"Currently, the mandatory quarantine and curfew is for 17 hours daily. This deprived many self-employed people of their sources of living," Al-Mansouri told Xinhua.
"Depriving these groups of rapid financial compensation will result in social and economic issues, and the spread of crime with the already weak security because of the ongoing war," the economic analyst explained.
"Libya has a population of more than 7 million. Identifying low income groups and providing temporary monthly grants for them until the end of the pandemic crisis in the country and the world is possible," he said.
Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Libya continues to suffer from a deadly armed conflict between the UN-backed government and the rival eastern-based army over control of Tripoli, despite repeated international calls for cease-fire.
