What's new: Africa and the coronavirus

Audio 03:57

By: Frédéric Couteau Follow

Publicity

“ Do you think Africa will be able to protect itself against the Covid-19 coronavirus ? »: This is the question posed by Le Point Afrique to its readers . The answer is not surprising: they answer " no " to more than 90%.

For the moment, recalls Le Point Afrique , “ only one confirmed case of contamination has been reported on the continent: in Egypt. The Egyptian Ministry of Health announced it last Friday. The carrier, who is not Egyptian, was hospitalized and placed in quarantine. Egypt is on the warpath , continues L e Point Afrique , especially since its population has passed the 100 million mark, making it the most populous country in the Arab world. Authorities have designated the al-Negaila central hospital in Matrouh in the west of the country to quarantine returnees from China, including many students. Almost three hundred have already been repatriated. "

In Kenya, " Nairobi is in the prevention phase against the coronavirus ", notes for its part La Nouvelle Tribune in Benin which quotes the Kenyan press. A Chinese national who works for a Chinese engineering company has been placed in segregation. The quarantined man comes from Hebei province, in the northeast of the country. We are not sure that it is contaminated.

The economic sector affected

So far, therefore, only one case has been found in Africa. But, wonders Jeune Afrique , " what would happen if this dreaded Covid-19 took root in countries less armed to fight it than China? A possibility that should not be excluded and that thrills. "

However, tempers Jeune Afrique , " some believe that the current wind of panic is irrational since the virus has so far " only " 2 000 dead (...). Evil is contained and its effects are circumscribed. "

The Pan-African weekly wants to be optimistic: “ We have the right to hope that Africa and the rest of the world will escape this virus which is causing disorder and panic. But the Chinese economy and the world economy will leave feathers. And the coronavirus will also have political consequences that are difficult to predict today. "

Among the economic implications of the coronavirus epidemic is the fall in Chinese domestic demand ... " A drop that directly affects Senegalese cashew producers ," notes the daily Walf Quotidien in Dakar. Indeed, "there could be a high production (in Senegal) accompanied by a weak demand (in China)", analyzes Boubacar Konta, the president of the regional framework of the actors of the cashew sector in Kolda. Faced with this risk , Walf Quotidien points out , the players in the sector asked the Minister of Commerce to act by providing them with a warehouse receipt that would allow them to store their production and wait for the right time for it. flow out. "

How many Congolese are stranded ?

Finally, Le Potentiel in the DRC is worried about Congolese nationals stranded in China…

" What is DR Congo doing for its representatives in China ? How many are they ? We don't know , sighs Le Potentiel . It is however established that the Congolese community in the country of Mao consists essentially of traders, students, researchers, soldiers in training, diplomats and their families. How to come to the aid of these distraught compatriots ? The government , Le Potential recalls, had announced the shipment of some 30,000 biomass. Nothing more. Is this enough, wonders the newspaper again, for people who live in quarantine, cloistered in their rooms, without contact with the outside? How long will this test last ? It is to respond to these concerns that, in solidarity with ours stranded in China, we present this plea in their favor. Kinshasa therefore has a duty , concludes Le Potentiel , to do more than sending biomass. "

Newsletter With the Daily Newsletter, find the headlines directly in your mailbox

Download the app

• Newspaper
• coronavirus