Coronavirus: a second case in the DRC, the announced measures are struggling to reassure

Text by: RFI Follow

In the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), a second case of Covid-19 has been confirmed. An emergency meeting on the coronavirus was held this Thursday, March 12. Decisions have been taken by the authorities, but the measures announced do not seem to reassure the people of Kinshasa.

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With our correspondent in Kinshasa , Pascal Mulegwa

“ A second case of coronavirus has been confirmed in the DRC. It is a Cameroonian subject. He is in a hospital institution in place for care. The Ministry of Health once again urges the population to observe strict hygiene ”, writes the Ministry of Health on its Twitter account.

Prime Minister Sylvestre Ilunga Ilunkamba gathered health authorities on Thursday, March 12, led by the Minister of Health, but also those of the Interior, Foreign Affairs, Defense, Transport and Sports. Decisions have been taken to strengthen personal hygiene measures and especially border measures. Measures that are far from reassuring the people of Kinshasa.

At the end of the meeting, the Minister of Health, Dr Eteni Longondo, wanted to be reassuring. Some 109 people who had contact with the first case were quarantined. " The government has taken all the measures, " he said, adding that "at this stage, wearing a mask is not necessary ".

Information sheets have been made available at airports for careful identification of passengers. Reception spaces for possible cases that arise are provided in some hospitals in the capital.

But the day before, the virologist, Jean-Jacques Muyembe, who is piloting the response to the Ebola epidemic, expressed reservations about the ability of health facilities to respond to emergencies, in the event of the spread of the disease.

Management of #Coronavirus in #RDC, Doctor #Muyembe warns that the mortality rate could be higher than in Europe because our health system is weak pic.twitter.com/sqHxtNOVKg

In the streets of the capital, the people of Kinshasa also say they are worried, especially with the appearance of a second case. They consider the measures taken to be insufficient and believe that they should extend in particular to the urban transport sector and schools, to limit contact as much as possible.

In addition, RFI contacted by telephone, the first case of coronavirus in the DRC, a 52-year-old Congolese who lived in France. He continues to complain about the conditions of his isolation in a Sino-Congolese hospital where he says he is not immune to mosquitoes and insalubrity. Another statement from him: he has not received any treatment since his isolation.

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• Ground floor
• Coronavirus
• Health and Medicine