Coronavirus: Africa faces the pandemic on Sunday, May 31

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According to Africa CDC, the African Center for Disease Control Prevention, the continent recorded 142,289 cases of Covid-19 this Saturday, and 4,084 deaths due to the disease. South Africa and Egypt are still the two plays most affected by the pandemic.

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• In Senegal in Côte d'Ivoire, cases continue to increase

In Senegal , we are wondering about the strategy to adopt: quarantining the capital, tightening the curfew, partial containment? "  No solution is to be ruled out,  " says Dr. Ousmane Gueye. In contrast, Abdoulaye Diouf Sarr, the Senegalese Minister of Health has announced that further measures will be taken at a press conference this Saturday.

The Senegalese capital and its region account for almost three quarters of the 3,535 cases of Covid-19 recorded since the start of the epidemic. For this single Saturday, May 30, the capital recorded 84 new cases, out of 106 across the country. The national epidemic management committee will meet this Tuesday, June 2 to discuss it.

In Côte d'Ivoire , if the official case fatality rate, less than 2%, and the number of deaths, which stands at 31, remain fairly low to date, the number of reported cases of Covid-19 has increased further more quickly . In the past four days, 273 cases have been recorded in the country, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 2,799 confirmed cases (+49).

For Dr. Edith Kouassi, advisor to the Minister of Health, this is due to several reasons. First, the non-compliance with barrier measures, but also, according to her, the strengthening of the capacity of the number of tests, which would automatically lead to an increase in the number of cases. But this last argument contradicts official figures.

• Cyril Ramaphosa criticized from everywhere in South Africa

South Africa imposed the strictest measures during the coronavirus epidemic. Ban on the sale of alcohol and cigarettes, compulsory confinement, etc. But today, the number of cases continues to increase and it is the most affected country on the continent with more than 30,000 proven cases and 643 deaths according to figures from the African Center for Prevention of Disease Control (Africa CDC ).

Applauded when he confined his country to contain the coronavirus pandemic two months ago, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa slowly saw his star fade, to the point of becoming the target of all critics.

"  This confinement costs our economy 13 billion rand (670 million euros) every day  ," said John Steenhuisen, the leader of the Democratic Alliance (DA), denouncing the decisions of "  authoritarian people  "  who "  endanger our democracy  . " On his left, the troublemaker of the Fighters for Economic Freedom (EFF) Julius Malema judged the easing of constraints too fast. "  Our grandmothers are going to die like the grandmothers of Italy died  ," he warned.

Struggling since the 2008 financial crisis, South Africa has been hit by the recessionary virus, with a collapsing currency, endemic unemployment (29%) and a poverty rate that makes it the most unequal country of the world, says the World Bank. And even if Cyril Ramaphosa has promised to release an envelope of 500 billion rand (25 billion euros) to absorb the shock of the pandemic, the experts are unanimous: the damage will be considerable.

Last week, the Head of State thus acknowledged errors in the management of the crisis. "  Some of the measures we adopted were unclear, some contradictory and others poorly explained,  " he conceded.
However, he remained firm on the most criticized, the ban on the sale of cigarettes, which he refused to lift in the name of "  health risks  ".

• A hundred Moroccans repatriated from Algeria

While more than 30,000 Moroccans are still stranded around the world, a Royal Air Maroc flight chartered a special flight from Algiers, according to media in the kingdom. It was not possible to obtain information from an official source on these repatriations although Rabat claims to prepare their repatriation, without however advancing a date. Moroccans stranded abroad have stepped up calls for help, with sit-ins and social media campaigns, and some have even sent an open letter to King Mohammed VI.
The consulates have since set up "support  cells  " and paid the accommodation costs of 6,500 Moroccans, according to the government.

• WHO worries about malaria explosion on the continent

As the number of coronavirus cases continues to increase on the African continent. Public health experts are worried about the approaching rainy season and therefore malaria. The coronavirus has in some cases destabilized an already very fragile health system.

And malaria could explode due to disorganized access to care. Researchers warn that rising hospital admissions for Covid-19 have also diverted already limited resources to tackle the region's major health problems.

• In the DRC, the pandemic tested by population denial

In Kinshasa, in the Democratic Republic of Congo , the fight against the spread of Covid-19 comes up against denial of the epidemic, which is starting to take violent forms against the backdrop of a strong surge in new cases. On May 20, three agents of the Covid-19 committee were kidnapped in Kimbanseke and another team was threatened with a knife.

"  There have been kidnappings, verbal and physical violence and even death threats  ," the committee added earlier this week. In the Council of Ministers on Friday, the Minister of Health Eteni Longondo " deplored the multiplication of incidents against response teams  " to the epidemic.

If they reject the prevention messages, the people of Kinshasa rush to distribute masks, the wearing of which is compulsory. "I 'm going to wear it just so as not to pay the police fine  ," says Marie-Louise Mamisa, a bread seller in the working-class neighborhoods near Ndjili airport. A fine of 5,000 Congolese francs ($ 2.63 at the current rate) is theoretically provided for those who do not wear masks or protective visors (and there are many). For the moment, the pandemic of the new coronavirus in the DRC has been officially detected in 3,049 people and has caused 72 deaths

• CAR reaches 1,000 cases

The Central African Republic officially passed this 1,000 cases mark on Sunday 31 May. In an official press release the government counts today 1,011 cases, 23 cures and two deaths. The epidemic now affects many regions of the country, which is considered one of the countries with one of the most fragile health systems in the world. The first case of coronavirus was confirmed on March 14.

Our selection on the coronavirus

• Listen to our Coronavirus Info column 

• Our  explanations  :
→  What we know about the mode of contagion
→  Disparities and inequalities facing the coronavirus
→  Triple therapy, Discovery… update on research
→  Remdesivir, antibodies and immunity
→  The race for the vaccine is in full swing
→  How to make a mask and use it well

• Our series  :
→ “  The response, country by country  ”
→ “  Nurses  ' words ”

• After Covid-19, towards a new world?

• See also the files of RFI Savoirs on the Covid-19:
→  Birth of a pandemic
→  Everyday life put to the test
→  The history of epidemics
→  Science facing the Covid-19
→  The geopolitical consequences

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