It is noted that on February 2, 2020 the Ethiopian government, despite citizen backlash, kept air travel from China open, despite Australia, Japan and the US already imposing travel restrictions. Ethiopia is the entry point for air travel between China through which they received around 1,500 passengers from China per day.
The first reported case of coronavirus into Ethiopia was on March 13, 2020, a 48-year-old Japanese national who had entered the country after visiting Burkina Faso has tested positive for the virus. The government of Ethopia was said to be following the WHO’s directions.
The Director-General of the WHO, Tedros, is from Ethiopia.