Coronavirus: Africa and the pandemic Tuesday April 21

Text by: RFI Follow

Africa counted this Tuesday April 21 23 716 confirmed cases of coronavirus. The Covid-19 has already claimed the lives of 1,160 people on the continent, according to the African Union Center for Disease Prevention and Control. Egypt is now the most affected country on the continent, with 3,333 cases, ahead of South Africa, Morocco and Algeria.

Publicity

• Michel Yao: the epidemic "accelerates" in Africa, but remains for the moment under control

The head of emergency operations of the World Health Organization (WHO) in Africa, Michel Yao, was the guest of Priorité Santé on RFI. According to him, if the epidemic accelerates on the continent, it still remains under control. “  21 countries remain in sporadic transmission. This still gives hope to control the epidemic in these countries, if all efforts are made and if we have a much faster and more comprehensive approach involving all sectors and all socio-cultural strata  ”, he explains. he. Among the measures necessary to stem the pandemic, Michel Yao insists in particular on the importance of screening and prevention. He also announced that four countries, South Africa, Togo, Kenya, and Rwanda, are about to start their clinical trials.

► Read here, the full interview: The coronavirus epidemic is "accelerating" in Africa but is still under control

• State of emergency: extension of the measure in Congo-Brazzaville and seizure of the Parliament in the DRC

The President of Congo-Brazzaville Denis Sassou-Nguesso has decided by decree to extend the state of health emergency established on March 31 by 20 days. With 160 cases, the coronavirus pandemic now affects six of the twelve departments of the Congo. The capital Brazzaville remains the epicenter of the disease in the country. In the DRC, President Félix Tshisekedi has officially seized the two chambers of Parliament which are to rule on his request for the extension of the state of emergency which is due to expire this week. The head of state signed an ordinance to allow deputies and senators to meet, despite the country's ban on gatherings of more than 20 people. Parliamentarians have until April 23 to vote on this extension.

► Read also: State of health emergency in the DRC: the president seizes the Parliament

• South Africa tightens measures to restrict outbreaks of coronavirus

Containment measures have been strengthened in the port city of Durban and its province, KwaZulu-Natal. People who test positive will now be hospitalized immediately to prevent them from violating their placement in quarantine. Since the start of containment three weeks ago, 1,500 people have been arrested in this province for violating the restrictions.

KwaZulu-Natal is one of the epicenters of the coronavirus epidemic in South Africa: the region has recorded 600 confirmed cases and 21 deaths. Healthcare workers are particularly affected: more than 50 of them have tested positive since the start of the pandemic, causing the temporary closure of three hospitals in Durban.

• Gabon launches massive screening campaign

After the establishment of the confinement of the capital Libreville and three neighboring municipalities, after the obligation to wear a mask in public places, a massive screening campaign begins this week in Gabon. The first concerned will be health personnel, on the front line facing the coronavirus epidemic: 24 of them have been contaminated so far. “  The advantage of this action is that we can detect those affected in time and take care of them fairly quickly. It is a simple gesture which protects not only the immediate environment of the patient but also the entire population,  ”explains Minister of Health Max Limoukou.

200,000 tests were imported by Gabon. The country also benefited from a donation of 100,000 additional tests from Chinese billionaire Jack Ma, founder of the online shopping site Alibaba.

► Read also: Coronavirus: mass screening in Gabon

• In Niamey, violence breaks out against the curfew and the ban on collective prayers

In the Nigerien capital, isolated from the rest of the country to limit the spread of the coronavirus, residents rebelled against containment measures. They protested in particular against the curfew in force between 7 p.m. and 6 a.m. and the ban on collective prayers. Barricades and burning tires were installed on the arteries of Niamey and scuffles took place between the police and the demonstrators. "  We rebelled because when you pray in a group, God accepts your prayers better  ," says a marabout from the Boukouki district. In all, a hundred people were arrested by the police, and ten were detained. The measures introduced in the capital, including the curfew, must end this Friday.

► Read also: Niger: measures against the coronavirus go badly in Niamey

• Tunisia repatriates nearly 400 of its nationals to Libya

395 Tunisian nationals, stranded at the Ras Jedir border crossing, were repatriated to their country on Tuesday morning. Yesterday, nearly 650 Tunisians had forcibly crossed the Tunisian-Libyan border. All were placed in solitary confinement upon arrival, in order to identify them and detect potential cases of coronavirus. According to Mustapha Abdelkabir, president of the Tunisian Human Rights Observatory, 8,000 Tunisian workers are still in Libya. They must be repatriated gradually until July.

• The Madagascan president presents his "remedy" against the virus

A decoction and an organic herbal tea made from artemisia and other plants kept secret. It is the remedy against the coronavirus, developed by the Madagascan Institute of Applied Research and presented with great fanfare by President Andry Rajoelina this Monday. The drug will be distributed free of charge to the most vulnerable. As of this Wednesday, it will be on sale in pharmacies, and compulsory for 3rd and 12th grade students, who must return to class on the same day.

The head of state assures that two patients were cured by the drug. But it is impossible to know the number of people on whom the treatment, designed in a few days, was tested. "  Using the Malagasy population, especially children, as a guinea pig for this miracle remedy is dangerous. Why not have tested on all sick people and wait for the overall result, before announcing and producing in large quantities?  Worries Fanirisoa Ernaivo, an opposition figure.

► Read also: Madagascar: the president presents his "remedy" against the Covid-19

• 66 cases of coronavirus in Ouarzazate prison in Morocco

In a press release published on Tuesday, the DGAPR (General Delegation for Prison Administration and Reintegration) announces that 60 employees and six detainees from Ouarzazate prison have tested positive for coronavirus. All residents of the establishment will be screened, adds DGAPR. Nine officials and two detainees had already been found positive in two other Moroccan prisons, in Marrakech and in Ksar Kébir. In early April, more than 5,000 prisoners were pardoned by King Mohammed VI in order to reduce the risk of contamination in prison establishments.

• In Uganda, the 2.4 million euro fund for MPs suspended by the courts

The High Court of Justice suspended Tuesday morning the allocation of 10 billion Ugandan shillings (about 2.4 million euros) that the deputies were to receive. Two opposition members had filed an appeal to prevent the implementation of this measure voted in Parliament on April 7. Each deputy was to receive 20 million shillings (about 5,000 euros) in order to combat the spread of the coronavirus in his constituency. The fund was to be used in particular to pay for nursing staff, or even the cost of ambulances. But the measure had widely reacted in the country: many citizens asking that this money be paid directly to caregivers and not to deputies.

JUST IN: The Civil Division of the High Court has stayed the release of the Sh10b to MPs until the hearing of the application challenging such on April 29. The suit was filed by Ntugamo MP Gerald Karuhanga and Erute North County MP Jonathan Odur # MonitorUpdates via @zziwaherbert pic.twitter.com/jb1MGCC8r1

• 50 million people at risk of hunger in West Africa

According to Oxfam, the number of people at risk of starvation could almost triple in West Africa, going from 17 million in June to 50 million people in August. The NGO is based on figures from the ECOWAS regional institution.

Eight international and regional organizations, including Action Against Hunger and Oxfam, are therefore concerned about the consequences of the health crisis on access to basic products. The populations are confronted with an increase in food prices and the decrease in availability of certain products due to the measures of confinement and closing of the borders in particular. Organizations are calling on governments to control prices, supply markets and help the most vulnerable.

By August in West Africa, 50 million people could be at risk of hunger, with the impact of # COVID19. This crisis, combined with the drought and insecurity in the region, weakens an already very unstable food situation! ➡️ https://t.co/WANCzqyDl9 pic.twitter.com/LpD8kAGQai

• In Côte d'Ivoire, the plight of scrap metal workers in Abobo in the face of containment measures

In the north of Abidjan, the scrap dealers of the “Casse d'Abobo”, an auto parts market, have been without customers since the end of March. The authorities have launched a vast disinfection operation on 40 hectares of alleys. “  We are asking the government of the State of Côte d'Ivoire to be able to subsidize us. If the State can make efforts so that we can go to real awareness, materially, financially, this is what we are asking for,  ”said Cisse Amédou, local president of the professional organization of Afecam-CI.

Read also: Côte d'Ivoire: the plight of scrap metal workers in Abobo faced with anti-coronavirus measures

• In Nigeria, private hospitals in Lagos close their doors

Saint Nicholas de Lagos private hospital, one of the largest in the Nigerian capital, has suspended operations for two weeks. According to local press reports, five other private hospitals have also closed. The cause: the exposure of nursing staff to Covid-19. The closures follow a recommendation from the Lagos state government, which called for the closure of 17 hospitals this Sunday. Institutions must take advantage of this period to bring themselves up to standard in order to be able to treat patients suffering from coronavirus. Before reopening, buildings must in particular be disinfected. Last week, doctors at private hospitals had warned of their lack of resources to deal with the disease, after the death of one of them, suffering from Covid-19.

• President of Sierra Leone placed in solitary confinement

Julius Maada Bio will be quarantined for 14 days after one of his bodyguards tested positive for coronavirus. The head of state said in a television broadcast on Monday evening that he was in good health, and that neither he nor his family were currently showing symptoms. Sierra Leone currently has 50 confirmed cases of Covid-19.

• Reopening of the large Ouagadougou market

After a month of closure , the shops of the big market in the capital of Burkina Faso reopened on Tuesday. According to the Minister of Commerce Harouna Kaboré, the market was completely cleaned and disinfected before it reopened. The mayor of Ouagadougou Armand Béouindé ensures that devices have been put in place to avoid as much as possible the risks of contamination with coronavirus. “  Handwashing devices have been installed at all the entrance doors and the temperature measurement is systematic. Inside, the aisles have been completely cleared, and a layout made to respect social distancing", He explains.

• In Kenya, applause for the nursing staff

In Kenya, at noon, the television channel NTV stopped its programs to broadcast for several minutes the applause of citizens in thanks to the medical staff, on the front line facing the epidemic of coronavirus.

Tunawashkuru madaktari wetu kwa kazi wanayofanya. # NTVSASA pic.twitter.com/abI9Xtl0iV

• New residents take over the streets of Cape Town

While South Africa has been confined for more than three weeks now to limit the spread of the coronavirus in the population, the deserted streets of the coastal city of Cape Town are taken by storm by somewhat special walkers ...

These penguins took a stroll through the quiet streets of Cape Town as residents in South Africa self-isolate amid COVID-19 lockdown. https://t.co/efBUX6mydx pic.twitter.com/MCtU22fJ5p

Our selection on SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus

• Listen to Coronavirus Info , daily chronicle on the pandemic

• Explanation:  The origins of the Covid-19

• Analyzes:
→What strategies to face the epidemic ?
→ What impact on conflict zones?

• Practical questions:
→ What we know about the mode of contagion
→ How do we treat the sick ?
→ What results for the ongoing clinical trials?
→How the Institut Pasteur hopes to find a vaccine
→ How to make a mask and use it well

Find all our articles, reports, chronicles and programs on the coronavirus by clicking here .

See also the files of RFI Savoirs  on the Covid-19:
• Birth of a pandemic
• Everyday life to the test
•  The history of epidemics

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

Follow all international news by downloading the RFI application

• Coronavirus
• Health and Medicine
• Africa
• Containment

On the same subject

Coronavirus: the state of the world facing the pandemic Tuesday, April 21

Interview

"No one has evidence of the effectiveness of artemisia against Covid-19"

Report

Ivory Coast: the plight of scrap metal workers in Abobo faced with anti-coronavirus measures