Coronavirus: Africa faces the pandemic Monday, April 13

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Africa counted this Monday, April 13, 14,525 confirmed cases of coronavirus. The Covid-19 has already claimed the lives of 788 people on the continent, according to the African Union Center for Disease Prevention and Control. Four countries have passed the 1,000 case mark: South Africa, Algeria, Egypt and Morocco.

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• Healings

Africa has surpassed the 14,500 officially recorded cases of coronavirus on Monday and the 780 deaths from Covid-19. However, a number also counts, that of the number of people healed. To date, according to the African Union Center for Disease Prevention and Control, 2,570 people have been declared cured of the disease on the continent.

• Congo opens center for asymptomatic patients

The Congo's Ministry of Health announces that as of this Monday, the Hôtel de la Concorde in Kintélé, which was a quarantine site, is now welcoming Covid-19 patients who are asymptomatic or slightly symptomatic. The hotel has a capacity of 200 beds. The objective is to isolate healthy carriers, that is to say people who are carriers of the virus without manifestation of symptoms, to prevent them from infecting those around them, but also to better monitor patients who are weakly affected if their condition worsens.

The Hôtel de la Concorde in Kintélé, which used to be a quarantine site, will now accommodate covid-19 patients who are asymptomatic. # COVID19_CG pic.twitter.com/iMRcOIsfz3

• South Africa : more alcohol and cigarettes

The coronavirus heavily affects South Africa, it is still the most affected country on the continent. Official figures to date show 2,173 cases and 25 deaths. But after two and a half weeks of confinement, the progression of the virus slows to believe the Ministry of Health. It must be said that the measures are drastic: forbidden to play sports outdoors or take out your dog for example. And another ban is more problematic, however: the ban on buying cigarettes and alcohol.

► Read here: Coronavirus: South Africa bans the purchase of alcohol and tobacco

• AU ambassadors at the bedside of Africa

Three men and a woman, already nicknamed the " fantastic four ", have been designated as special envoys to mobilize the international community to help Africa overcome the effects of the pandemic. Four specialists in financial matters, and public aid, experienced in the mysteries of international institutions, such as the IMF, the World Bank and the African Development Bank, appointed by Cyril Ramaphosa, the South African president also president in office of the African Union. Who are these special envoys and what will their role be? All the details to read here.

► Read here: AU appoints 4 special envoys to mobilize funds against Covid-19

Chairperson of the @_AfricanUnion, His Excellency President @CyrilRamaphosa of the Republic of South Africa, has appointed Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Dr Donald Kaberuka, Mr Tidjane Thiam & Mr Trevor Manuel as Special Envoys of the @_AfricanUnion #AfricaResponds # COVID19 pic. twitter.com/D2zPol0jHU

• Reduced traffic measures in Mozambique

Authorities have announced that wearing a mask is now compulsory in the country and following protests from the country's transport sector, the government also decided at the end of last week to lift the ban on the use of bicycles and motorbikes. provided that the wearing of the protective mask covering the nose and mouth is respected. The IMF and the World Bank are expected to provide nearly $ 288 million to support the country in its fight against the disease. To date, Mozambique has 21 confirmed cases of coronavirus.

• 250 Cuban doctors in Angola

More than 250 Cuban doctors arrived in Luanda on Friday to help the Angolan authorities fight the epidemic of new coronavirus. When they got off a plane chartered by the national airline TAAG Angolan Airlines, the Cuban doctors were greeted by the Angolan authorities and the Cuban ambassador to Angola. Cuban doctors will be spread throughout the Angolan territory. To date, Angola, a country with poor public health services, has registered 19 confirmed cases of Covid-19, including two deaths. To fight the virus, Angolan President Joao Lourenço has declared a state of emergency until April 25, which considerably limits travel, meetings and public activities.

• Nigeria extends containment

President Muhammad Buhari extends confinement for two weeks in the states of Lagos and Ogun, as well as in the capital Abuja. The Nigerian head of state addressed the nation on Monday evening in an address on television and radio. He said he was aware of the impact of his decision on the poorest populations. But he insisted on the necessity of this measure to limit the spread of Covid 19 in the country.

• Obligation to wear a mask, turban or veil in Chad

The government announces that the wearing of masks or alternatives such as the turban or the veil is now compulsory under penalty of sanctions.

Anyone who does not respect the measures in place, such as the ban on assembly, in particular for marriages or burials, will also be penalized, warned the Minister General Secretary of the Presidency, Kalzeubé Payimi in a press release. Chad has so far recorded 23 cases of coronavirus.

• Wearing a mask is compulsory in Abidjan

The economic capital of Côte d'Ivoire is the main source of Covid-19 infection in the country and remains confined with a curfew between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m. From now on, wearing a mask is also compulsory. According to a latest report, 574 people were diagnosed positive for the virus, 85 were cured and five people died.

• The number of patients explodes in Djibouti

With 83 new cases in 24 hours, the country now has 298 people with coronavirus. A higher figure than other countries in the region, however, the authorities say they practice more tests than in the neighbors. The government explains that Djibouti is in an active phase of the epidemic, and are looking for people who have been in contact with patients at Al Rahma hospital, a new center of infection discovered a few days ago.

• New restrictions in Sudan

Fayçal Saleh, the Minister of Information and government spokesman announced in a press release "a total curfew in the state of Khartoum which will start on Saturday April 18 for three weeks".

He adds that food shops and pharmacies could, however, open a few hours a day. Sudanese people will still be able to travel at specific times to buy food.

The Department of Health announced on Monday 10 new cases of Covid-19 disease, the largest increase to date, bringing the total number of infected people to 29. The latest increase represents "the beginning of a shift towards a greater spread of the disease, "according to the ministry.

• 4,300 arrests in Morocco in one weekend

Of the 4,300 people arrested in the past two days, more than half have been taken into custody for non-compliance with the measures imposed against the spread of the coronavirus.

Since the declaration of a state of health emergency in mid-March, the authorities have arrested 28,701 people in the kingdom, of whom nearly 15,500 have been brought to justice, according to a press release from the National Security Service (DGSN).
Violators risk up to three months in prison and fines of up to 1,300 dirhams (around € 124). Respecting confinement is particularly difficult in poor neighborhoods of large cities where the population lacks resources.

► Read also: In Morocco, in the middle of a pandemic, solidarity towards the poorest is organized

• The President of Senegal welcomes the Pope's call to cancel the debt of poor countries

During his Easter blessing, Pope Francis called for reducing or canceling the debt of the poorest countries while the world is going through an economic crisis due to the coronavirus pandemic. This Monday, Senegalese President Macky Sall salutes the position of the sovereign pontiff.

My call for the cancellation of the African public debt still arouses a favorable response. I welcome the appeal of Pope Francis @Pontifex_en who, in his Easter blessing, calls for a reduction or cancellation of the debt which weighs on the budgets of the poorest countries.

The Senegalese state seeks to support the private sector and maintain jobs. Provision is made in particular for the prohibition of dismissals during the pandemic (except in the event of gross negligence). In addition, if technical unemployment cannot be avoided, the employer is required to pay the employee at least 70% of his net salary. Measures that reassure unions. But on the employers' side, their application raises questions.

For employers, "support measures " are announced, including tax rebates and suspensions. But for Charles Faye, president of the social commission of the National Council of the employers, the companies will not be able to face the payment of 70% of the wages in the event of technical unemployment.

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• Coronavirus
• Health and Medicine
• Africa
• Containment

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