This archive report was first published on 13 May 2020.
On May 13, 2020, Lesotho confirmed its first case of coronavirus, making it the last African country to do so.
The Kingdom of Lesotho, surrounded by South Africa, had managed to stay away from the disease despite frequent movement between the two countries.
However, hundreds of Basotho workers commute daily to South Africa, where there have been over 11,350 confirmed cases of coronavirus.
Lesotho's fragile health system and lack of necessary resources to test for COVID-19 have raised concerns about the potential for a big crisis in the country.
As a result, samples are being sent to South Africa's National Institute for Communicable diseases (NICD) for testing.
Lesotho's Minister of Finance had previously urged Basotho in South Africa to avoid returning home, citing the risk of bringing the deadly virus back with them.
