Addis Ababa, Jan 14 (IANS): Ethiopia is boosting health screening measures in airports to prevent transmission of new Covid-19 strains, an Ethiopian official has said.

Sahrela Abdullahi, State Minister of Ethiopia Federal Ministry of Health (FMoH), said on Tuesday the new health screening measures which will mainly apply to travelers coming from foreign destinations aims to prevent transmission of new Covid-19 strains, Xinhua news agency reported on Wednesday.

Abdullahi said Ethiopia in particular is working to prevent the transmission of new Covid-19 strains recently discovered in the United Kingdom, South Africa and Nigeria, reported state media outlet Ethiopia News Agency (ENA).

"In addition to health screening measures at airports, the FMoH, is tightening control at border points with neighboring countries as part of measures to prevent the transmission of the new Covid-19 strains into the country," Abdullahi remarked.

Abdullahi further called on the public to strengthen waning personal health measures such as wearing face masks, practicing physical distancing and washing hands regularly to prevent contracting the disease.

Ethiopia has reported 128,616 confirmed Covid-19 cases and 2,003 COVID-19 related cases as of Tuesday morning.

Ethiopia is the fifth-most Covid-19 affected country in the African continent, only surpassed by South Africa, Morocco, Egypt and Tunisia.