Covid-19: in Dakar with the police responsible for enforcing protection measures

Police on patrol at the Sandaga market in Dakar. RFI / Charlotte Idrac

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In Senegal, authorities have taken a series of measures to limit the spread of the virus. In addition to a curfew from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m., wearing a mask is compulsory, gatherings prohibited, and shops in the capital must close on certain days of the week. The defense and security forces are responsible for enforcing these obligations.

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With our correspondent in Dakar, Charlotte Idrac

At the Sandaga market in Dakar, the capital of Senegal, a passerby explains that the mask makes it difficult for him to breathe. So stay at home  ," replied an agent. The police rely on several sources to inform them. The foot patrols, the plainclothes police," explains Major Saliou Ndao. There are also citizens who call us and tell us that in such a place, things are not going well. There are also video surveillance devices that guide uniformed patrols  . ”

On Friday, non-food shops must remain closed. At the Tilène market, a couturier remained open. “  He does not sell , we explain. He sews clothes. But it turns out that it should not open today. He shouldn't do it  . ” No fine this time. He tucks his sewing machines inside. Street vendors on the other hand are not affected and take the opportunity to install their goods in front of closed shops.

Excessive intervention  "

The police had recognized "  excessive intervention  " on the first evening of the curfew. But for El Hadj Cheikh Dramé, central commissioner of Dakar, the measures are now generally respected. There are still people who at first did not understand ," he recalls. The police have embarked on this awareness raising process. Now, for recalcitrants, there is a fixed fine, between 1,500 and 3,000 CFA francs [between 2.29 and 4.57 euros] . It's a deterrent  . ”

The police do not specify the number of fines and arrests since the establishment of the state of emergency. Senegal recorded its fourteenth Covid-19 death on May 8. To date, the country has 1,551 reported cases.

► Read also: Coronavirus: how Senegal copes with the pandemic

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  • Senegal
  • Coronavirus
  • Confinement

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