A number of political and civil society figures on Monday raised concerns over the government’s measures against COVID-19 in the country.

They warn that if the coronavirus fight is exploited politically, the country will face very bad consequences.

The Ministry of Public Health says that to fight the coronavirus it is the government's obligation to provide more resources to the ministry.

Videos from the last few days of the Presidential Palace's public response to the coronavirus, featuring their emergency meetings, include a number of people close to the president, but there is no sign of the minister of public health. The Presidential Palace says the minister was not present at the meetings because of illness.

A number of politicians are concerned that the current situation, which poses a dire threat to the country, should not be exploited politically by the government.

“If the government continues in this way,...and if the opportunities that come to Afghanistan cannot be used properly against the coronavirus--because of a lack of a serious commitment--and if the situation is used politically--the people will face a serious problem,” said Fawzia Koofi, leader of the Movement for Change.

The Afghan civil society considers the situation to be worrying and calls for mobilization of all parties in the fight against coronavirus.

“Unfortunately, only a single ministry and one particular media group can handle this major national disaster, whose depths are unknown, and its symptoms are unknown. It requires that all entities be mobilized,” said Aziz Rafe, Executive Director of the Afghan Civil Society Forum.

“All the ministries should work for one aim like the European counties,” said Jawed, a doctor.

The Ministry of Public Health is calling on the government to work and fulfill its obligations in fighting against the COVID-19 in the country.

“We have not seen any practical action yet in this regard, as other countries have experienced this, and we ask senior government officials to assess this issue,” said Wahid Mayar, the ministry spokesman.

Based on the ministry statistics, 42 people have been infected with virus in Afghanistan so far, and this figure may increase in the coming weeks.