• GoE enacts restrictions and national plan to limit the spread of COVID-19
• USG partners adapt programs to include COVID-19 prevention measures
• Desert locust infestations continue to threaten food security

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KEY DEVELOPMENTS

• The Government of Ethiopia (GoE) introduced measures to limit the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in March and April, launching a three-month preparedness and response plan in April requesting nearly $1.8 billion. Some restrictions are disrupting humanitarian operations.
• U.S. Government (USG) partners are adapting emergency programs to include protocols intended to prevent the spread of COVID-19. In April, USAID/FFP partners, including the UN World Food Program (WFP), began providing double rations of food assistance to halve the frequency of distributions, minimizing large gatherings of beneficiaries.
• Approximately 8.5 million people are currently in need of emergency food assistance as of April, according to the Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET). Food security actors anticipate 500,000 to 1 million additional people will require food assistance in the coming months due to the impacts of desert locust and COVID-19

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).