Residents of the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, and other regions under control of the Iran-backed Houthi militias agree that the country is not really prepared for the potential outbreak of the novel coronavirus.

They cited the poor Houthi preventive measures, lack of awareness and a weak healthcare system that has been decimated by five years of war.

Yemen reported the spread of novel coronavirus to a third province late on Friday, raising the number of diagnosed infections to seven with two deaths.

The United Nations says it fears the virus could be spreading undetected in the country.

The governor of Taiz on Saturday announced that he was closing the province’s borders for two weeks, with the exception of supplies of food and other essential goods, in order to prevent the virus from spreading.

Yemen recorded its first case of COVID-19 in southern Hadhramout province on April 10. On Wednesday, it announced five infections in Aden, with two deaths.

Mohammed, a college student at Sanaa University, siad that as the virus started to spread in neighboring Arab countries, fears over the outbreak emerged in Yemen. Those concerns have waned over the past four weeks and life has returned almost back to normal.

Another student, Ibrahim, said people were initially concerned about stocking food enough for two to four weeks, as well as buying face masks and sanitizers. They however, used up their supplies before the first case was even confirmed.

Mosleh, a vegetable vendor at a Sanaa market, told Asharq Al-Awsat that he did not care about the outbreak because he did not believe the reports about how dangerous it is.

"Our lives are in the hands of God. Even if the fears are true, we still won't be able to feed our children," he added.

Mosleh's colleagues at the market joked to Asharq Al-Awsat about the Yemeni people's ability to withstand natural disasters and diseases, as well as their ability to adapt to all political circumstances, especially what they described as the "Houthi pandemic."

One vendor, however, acknowledged the fears in the country, most notably after the first virus case was diagnosed in Aden.

"We have not died even after five years of war with the Houthi virus," he said.

Inadequate Houthi health sector

The more educated segments of society are unanimous in agreeing that the health sector controlled by the Houthis is unable to confront the pandemic. They pointed to the militias' failure to control previous outbreaks of the cholera and malaria, even though they can be contained, especially given international and United Nations support to fight them.

Khalil, an emergency room doctor at a private clinic in Sanaa, warned that Yemen was in store for a major disaster if the coronavirus were to spread in the country given the poor state of public hospitals and lack of awareness among the people.

He said that one need only look at markets and people's insistence to disregard social distancing measures to confirm these fears. They even aren't wearing face masks or protective gloves.

One store owner in Sanaa said that the situation was not that bad and that some residents were starting to apply social distancing and some were seen wearing face masks while shopping.

"Some vendors need to make a daily living and they cannot remain at home even if they are afraid of the virus," he told Asharq Al-Awsat. "No official authority is assuming its responsibilities towards the people."

A worker at a local humanitarian agency revealed that some families in Sanaa, Hodeidah and regions under Houthi control in Taiz have decreased their social visits during the holy fasting month of Ramadan, reflecting their concerns over the pandemic.

On Wednesday the Aden-based government’s emergency coronavirus committee voiced concern that the Houthis were not admitting to a coronavirus outbreak in Sanaa. The militias’ health authorities said all suspected cases there had tested negative for COVID-19.

Activists on social media confirmed that virus cases were detected in Sanaa, but the Houthis have been concealing this information for unknown reasons.

They added that the militias arrested at least three youths in Sanaa for discussing how the Houthis were hiding infections at a number of hospitals they had dedicated for quarantine.

Reuters reported Tuesday that there was at least one confirmed infection in Sanaa, but the Houthi-controlled health ministry denied it.