Coronavirus: Africa and the pandemic Thursday April 2, 2020

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Africa counted this Thursday, April 2, 6,213 confirmed cases of coronavirus. The Covid-19 has already claimed the lives of 221 people on the continent, according to the African Union Center for Disease Prevention and Control. In sub-Saharan Africa, the three most affected countries are South Africa, Burkina Faso and Cameroon.

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• Three days of confinement in Sierra Leone and 21 in Eritrea and 28 in Botswana

" The 72-hour confinement will begin on Sunday April 5 and end at midnight Tuesday April 7, " said Sierra Leonean Defense Minister Kellie Conteh, coronavirus coordinator, at a press conference.

Sierra Leone was the last country in West Africa to report no Covid-19 cases, but two patients have been identified in the past two days. First a man back from France, then a doctor from the capital Freetown with no apparent link to the first patient.

The Eritrean authorities also set up this Thursday, April 2, a general confinement that affects the whole country for a period of 21 days, except for people working in the food and health sectors.

In addition, the campaign # EritreaFightsCOVID19 (Eritrea fighting the Covid-19 literally), launched to raise funds to help the Ministry of Health to buy notably medical equipment, diagnostic tests or medicines, announces having collected a million dollars in a week.

The president of Botswana, Mokgweetsi Masisi, for his part announced a 28-day confinement as of this midnight Thursday. Only essential services and workers will be allowed to continue their activities. A traffic permit will be issued to them by the authorities.

• Rwanda extends confinement

Two additional weeks of confinement were announced at a Council of Ministers held by videoconference on Wednesday. The ban on all non-essential journeys, the closure of borders and districts, schools, places of worship and most shops will therefore last at least until April 19.

To offset the economic consequences of the confinement on the population, the government launched a food distribution program in the capital over the weekend. To date Rwanda has 82 confirmed cases of Covid-19.

• Good news in Equatorial Guinea .. and in Kenya

The first patient, a 43-year-old Equatorial Guinean woman diagnosed with Covid-19 in the country, is officially cured according to the WHO.

WHO in Guinea Ecuatorial presented the situación del país sobre el COVID - 19 to 1 of April 2020. pic.twitter.com/gRszxCwbx0

In Kenya, there are now officially 81 patients, but also reasons to rejoice: the first two people infected with the virus are cured. They spoke yesterday to give hope to the Kenyans.

► Read also: In Kenya, patients recovered from coronavirus testify to raise awareness

• A fatwa in Algeria

To fight against fake news that can sow " fear and panic ", the Ministry of Religious Affairs published on Wednesday a statement from the Committee of Fatwas which prohibits " to manufacture, disseminate and propagate false information. These lies are part of the deadly sins, "warns the Committee, which specifies that" whoever is not an expert in a field must be silent in order not to do harm .

• Djibouti in turn launches a solidarity fund

In a tweet, President Ismaïl Omar Guelleh announces the creation of an emergency and solidarity fund of one billion Djiboutian francs (FDJ). The head of state calls for mobilization and adds that he " will personally contribute up to 10 million FDJ to set an example ".

Faced with this exceptional situation, I decided, with the support of the Government, to create an emergency and solidarity fund of 1 billion FDJ. I will personally participate to the tune of 10 million FDJ to set an example. Let's mobilize!

• Strict rules for shopping in Mauritius

After almost 10 days of closure due to containment, the island's supermarkets reopened on Thursday. The government has divided the population into three groups in alphabetical order, and each is only allowed to shop for two days a week. People whose last name begins with the letters between “a” and “f” can shop on Monday and Thursday; those between the letters "g" and the "n", Tuesdays and Fridays; and those between the letters "o" and the "z", Wednesday and Saturday.

In stores, customers only have half an hour to do their shopping. They must follow a specific course without being able to go back if they have forgotten something. The people of Mauritius have been confined to their homes since March 20. The country is the most affected in East Africa, with 161 confirmed cases of coronavirus and seven deaths.

• Death of former Somali Prime Minister

Nur Hassan Hussein died of coronavirus at the age of 83 in a London hospital. He had headed the Somali government between November 2007 and February 2009.

• Burkina Faso : Alpha Barry heals and tales to pass the time

Foreign Minister Alpha Barry announces his recovery on Twitter. “ Tonight April 1st, I am much better and I HAVE JUST BEEN TESTED NEGATIVE. It is the end of my confinement and of all my relatives and contacts. "

Tonight April 1st, I am doing much better and COME TO BE TESTED NEGATIVE. It is the end of my confinement and of all my relatives and contacts. Thank goodness everyone is doing well. Barrier measures save ... must therefore be respected. Thank you & courage to all! @BurkinaMae #lwili pic.twitter.com/v0LOTFP7xd

And for all those looking to have fun during the curfew, the Burkina Faso storyteller KPG alias Kientega Pingdéwindé Gérard offers a story accompanied by his kora every evening at 7:30 p.m.

• Gaël Faye contaminated

The Franco-Burundian author of the success story Petit Pays announces on his Facebook page that he was infected with coronavirus during the promotion of the film taken from his work.

“ 2 weeks ago during the promotion of #petitpayslefilm I grabbed the Covid-19. I was lucky not to be hospitalized unlike other people on the film crew. I spent 15 days in total isolation ”. He explains today to be much better.

• $ 221 million in IMF aid to Senegal

As the government prepares to provide food aid to several million Senegalese in need, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has agreed in principle to a loan of $ 221 million to the country. " The containment measures to prevent the spread of the virus, fewer exports, fewer remittances from Senegalese expatriates and the sudden cessation of travel and tourism have a significant impact on growth " and have caused a urgent need for money, the IMF said in a statement. The IMF's board of directors is expected to make a final decision on this plan in mid-April.

• A third case in Burundi

The Minister of Health announced on Thursday a third proven case of coronavirus. It is a 26-year-old woman who cohabited with one of the first two cases discovered two days ago. It is at this stage the only person on the 23 to have been in contact with them which was tested positive, always according to the minister, ensuring that it is well.

The Burundian official recalls that this pandemic should not make people forget to protect themselves against other scourges which still prevail in Burundi such as malaria, tuberculosis, cholera, etc.

• In the DRC, the city of Bukavu cut off from the province of South Kivu

The decision was taken by the provincial council of ministers as part of the fight against the spread of Coronavirus in the villages of South Kivu.

This measure was announced four days after the governor's confirmation of 2 cases of Coronavirus in the capital of South Kivu. The provincial government has decided to close all roads leading to the territories for a period of 14 days.

This decision also concerns all ports, airports and aerodromes in South Kivu. Only cargo freight and vehicles transporting food and other basic necessities will be allowed to circulate.

This Thursday, the situation was still unchanged on several exits from Bukavu as on the road section between Bukavu and Kavumu in Kabare, Bukavu - Walungu or Bukavu - Nyangezi territory. Police sources on these sections indicate that they are giving people time to rest so that they can leave the city for the territories and vice versa. The measure will be applied more strictly thereafter.

In the town of Bukavu, vendors of veggies from the villages of South Kivu were less numerous than usual. The provincial ministry of agriculture, fishing and animal husbandry in South Kivu explains that a contingency plan has already been drawn up in order to maintain food self-sufficiency.

• Zimbabwe prisoners released

1,680 detainees including 53 women were released from prison on Wednesday. All had been pardoned by the head of state. According to the authorities, the measure has been taken to decongest the country's overcrowded prisons and try to limit the spread of the virus. Only detainees who had not committed a violent crime, and who had served half their sentence, as well as minors or those over 70 were eligible for this early release.

Since Monday, the authorities have imposed national confinement. The country has so far recorded less than a dozen cases of Coronavirus.

• In South Africa, the city of Cape Town relocates several hundred refugees

A group of around 500 refugees, made up of ten different nationalities, was dislodged from a Cape Town church that they had occupied for months by police on Thursday afternoon. Citing health reasons, and for fear of spreading the Covid-19, the Cape Town municipality decided to evacuate them to shelter them in tents outside the city.
South Africa which is in its 7th day of confinement this Thursday has so far more than 1,300 confirmed cases of coronavirus.

• Curfew in Chad

A decree signed this Thursday by President Idriss Deby Itno establishes a curfew with immediate effect in the Chadian provinces of Logone Occidental, Logone Oriental, Mayo-Kebbi Ouest, Mayo-Kebbi Est and in the city of Ndjamena. This measure takes effect this Thursday, April 2 from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m., for a period of two weeks renewable.

• First death in Zambia

Zambia, for its part, announces the first death of the coronavirus. Health Minister Chitalu Chilufya said at a press conference that " the patient had chronic respiratory problems ". A total of 39 cases have been officially listed in the country

• Cases of contamination within the Barkhane force

The French General Staff announces that four officers from Operation Barkhane in the Sahel have tested positive for Covid-19. He specifies that one of them is being treated on the spot, the other three have been repatriated, just like another officer who presents symptoms, but who has not been tested and that all contact cases have been identified and placed fortnight in a dedicated area, where they are subject to enhanced medical surveillance. According to Colonel Frédéric Barbry, spokesman for the army staff, these cases " have no impact on operations ".

• Soldiers in quarantine in Sudan

Sudan puts all of its soldiers returning from Yemen under quarantine. According to the Sudanese news agency, 800 soldiers who have returned through Port Sudan are to stay for two weeks on the boat that brought them back to the country.

• Patrolling robots in Tunisia

Tunisian-made robots crisscross Avenue Habib Bourguiba and the main arteries of the capital Tunis to deter people from leaving their homes. This robot can block passers-by for an inspection, it is able to take their temperature and is equipped with speakers, a rotating beacon and can scan identity documents. Directly linked to the police headquarters and equipped with several cameras, the robot transmits the documents of the arrested person to the police.

In Benzirt, in the north of Tunisia, it took the intervention of the police to disperse demonstrators who were protesting against the burial of people who died in Covid-19. Protesters feared the contamination would spread from the cemetery to the nearest neighborhood. They went so far as to want to take the remains out of the grave. They threw stones at the police who arrested 10 people.

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• Coronavirus
• Health and Medicine
• Containment
• Ground floor
• South Africa
• Burkina Faso
• Cameroon
• Africa

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