Coronavirus: Africa and the pandemic on Thursday June 4

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Africa counted this Thursday, June 4, 163,599 confirmed cases of coronavirus. The Covid-19 has already claimed the lives of 4,611 people on the continent, according to the African Center for Disease Prevention and Control. The countries most affected by the epidemic are South Africa, Egypt, Nigeria and Algeria.

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• Africa CDC says Africa must triple number of tests

John Nkengasong, Director of the African Center for Disease Prevention and Control (Africa CDC), says Africa needs to triple the number of its tests for Covid-19 in order to be "  one step ahead of the virus  " So far, the continent has conducted 3.4 million tests, but the official said at a press conference on Thursday want to see this figure rise to 10 million "  within two to three months  ".

On average, Africa tests 1,700 people per million inhabitants, far from the 37,000 tests per million inhabitants in Italy, for example. Some countries face a shortage of materials, such as South Africa. "  The whole world is struggling to get the laboratory kits, and it is at this dead end that we are at this moment  ", deplores the Minister of Health Zweli Mkhize. John Nkengasong, however, said that a platform set up to help the African continent fight Covid-19 has made it possible to secure 15 million tests per month for the next six months. Africa CDC's coronavirus plan also includes the deployment of one million health workers and the training of 100,000 caregivers.

• Senegalese government announces easing of restrictions in tense environment

The Senegalese Interior Minister, Aly Ngouille Ndiaye, announced this Thursday morning the reduction of the curfew in the country, which is now in effect between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m., instead of 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. The government has also decided to restore transport between the different regions. Restaurants and gyms can reopen, but bars and beaches cannot. Regarding air traffic, a gradual resumption of flights is planned from June 15.

The restrictions imposed on Senegalese territory were increasingly challenged. On Wednesday evening and for the second consecutive night, sometimes violent demonstrations broke out in several cities across the country against the curfew implemented on March 23 to stem the pandemic. Last night, the capital Dakar was also concerned by this protest movement. More than 200 people were arrested. Senegal officially registers 4,021 cases of contamination and 45 deaths from Covid-19.

• The Cape region in South Africa decides to test only those over 55

In South Africa, the Western Cape province has announced that it will now only test people 55 and older and healthcare workers due to the lack of testing kits. According to provincial Premier Alan Winde, 27,000 samples are awaiting analysis, increasing the time it takes to deliver test results. According to him, this measure will allow those most at risk to obtain the results of their screening more quickly. "  What we are saying is that if you are in good health, let's try to save a test, unless it is absolutely necessary,  " says Alan Winde. The Western Cape region concentrates the majority of coronavirus cases in the country, with 24,657 cases out of the 37,525 cases confirmed nationally.

• Two Kenyan police officers charged with murders

In Kenya, two police officers are being prosecuted for murder after an investigation by the Independent Police Supervisory Authority (IPOA) into police violence during the curfew. The first is accused of having shot a 13-year-old boy who was on his balcony while the police were in operation to enforce the restrictions in place. The second is suspected of having killed a professor while he was going to the scene of a burglary. The police watchdog also cited four other police officers who will soon be charged with assaulting a man in Garissa, in the east of the country. In total, since March 25 and the introduction of restrictive measures to limit the spread of the coronavirus in Kenya, 15 people have been killed, and 31 have been injured. The IPOA received 87 complaints against members of the police. 

• WHO representative calls Ivorians to order

In Côte d'Ivoire, the number of Covid-19 cases continues to grow. The threshold of 3,000 cases was crossed earlier this week and 35 people have died since the start of the pandemic. But in Abidjan, the barrier measures are little respected. Dr Jean-Marie Vianny Yameogo, WHO representative in the country, has observed since the beginning of deconfinement a relaxation on the part of the population in respect of measures of social distancing. “  There are very few people, less than 50% of the population, who wear a mask in public places. It's very worrying,  ”he regrets. The WHO representative is concerned about the consequences that this non-compliance with barrier measures could have on the spread of the virus in the territory. "  This means that we will not be able to stop community transmission and we must expect many more cases, both in the region of Abidjan, which is the most affected, than in the rest of the country,  " worries- he. 

• Over 400 migrants are waiting to be able to land in a European port

425 migrants, rescued in recent weeks in the Mediterranean, are currently stranded at sea in international waters off the island of Malta. Due to the coronavirus epidemic, Malta refuses to accept them. They are retained, for some for more than a month, on four boats usually used for tourist cruises.

Malta and Italy closed their ports in early April due to the global epidemic. Boats cannot therefore disembark on European soil. The European Commission yesterday called on member states to "  solidarity  " and "  collective responsibility  ". For its part, the NGO SOS Mediterranean denounces "  a spiral of chaos and death that is developing  ". Because since the beginning of May, civil rescue operations have stopped. However, the associations are alerting to the increase in the number of migrants leaving from Libya. 

• Clashes erupt in Tamatave, home of the epidemic in Madagascar

In Madagascar, clashes between the police and residents of the Anjoma and Androranga districts took place Wednesday afternoon and in the evening in the large port city of Tamatave, in the east of the country. According to residents, the riots broke out after police beat up a man who refused to go home and respect the confinement. When contacted, the city police explained that the responsibility of the police was not confirmed and that an investigation would be opened. The injured man was in the hospital last night. The clashes, with stone throwing, burnt tires and roadblocks on the side of the residents and tear gas fires on the side of the police to disperse the crowd, ended in the early evening, police and journalists said on square. About 400 police from the capital, Antananarivo, were sent to the city last week to enforce sanitary measures. Tamatave has the highest number of Covid-19 cases in Madagascar.

• Mandatory tests for people breaking the curfew in Liberia

Francis Kateh, Liberia's deputy health minister, announced on Wednesday that anyone violating the curfew to curb the coronavirus pandemic would be subject to mandatory testing. Their driver's licenses will also be seized. The government indicates that new screening centers are being deployed in the country, including in some schools in the capital Monrovia. Liberia currently has 28 Covid-19 deaths and nearly 300 confirmed cases.

• Tunisia national football team to resume training on Monday

Players of the Tunisian national football team will be able to put their boots on Monday 8 June, the date of resumption of training, announced the Tunisian Football Federation (FTF) in a press release. The selection was to play two games in March against Tanzania for the African Cup of Nations qualifiers, but they had been postponed indefinitely . Regarding Ligue 1, the national championship, the matches will resume in camera from August 2. Next season won't start until October 31.

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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