Africa counted this Wednesday, June 3 158,318 confirmed cases of coronavirus. The Covid-19 has already claimed the lives of 4,508 people on the continent, according to the African Center for Prevention and Control of…

Coronavirus: Africa and the pandemic on Wednesday June 3

Since the start of the pandemic, 821 caregivers have tested positive for coronavirus in Nigeria. Kola Sulaimon / AFP

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South African justice orders review of certain containment measures

A judge of the High Court of Pretoria, seized by NGOs, ordered Tuesday the government to review certain measures of containment , finding that they violate the freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution. The magistrate, however, suspended his decision for a period of two weeks, in order to give the executive time to " review, amend and republish " the measures deemed unconstitutional. Among them, the ban on playing sports or attending a funeral, which are " not rationally justified by the objective of slowing down or limiting the rate of infection by the virus ", according to the magistrate.

Anger rises in Senegal against the curfew and the state of emergency

In Senegal, impatience is mounting against the maintenance of the curfew between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m. and the state of emergency in force since March 23. Transporters and drivers demonstrated Tuesday evening in several cities of the country, in particular in Touba, Tivavouane and Thiès. They claim to be in an untenable economic situation and demand the lifting of restrictions on long distance traffic. The protests were sometimes followed by violence. According to AFP information, in the holy city of Touba, three police vehicles and an ambulance were burned, the center for the sick of the Covid-19 attacked, and the windows of the electricity company Senelec stoned. In the neighboring town of Mbackè, the headquarters of the private radio station RFM, belonging to the singer and former minister Youssou N'Dour, was also attacked.

The general caliph of the Muslim brotherhood of the Mourides, Serigne Mountakha Mbacké Bassirou, for his part called the population to calm. " Go home." We will see tomorrow the source of the problems and how to solve them. I think we have never seen that in Touba, "he said in a message broadcast on television in the middle of the night, an extremely rare event. The Interior Ministry promises a statement by tomorrow. Because two and a half months after the introduction of the state of emergency, frustration is expressed. " The measures last longer than some had expected, " explains sociologist Abdou Salam Fall. For him, the authorities must rely on communication, consultation and consistency.

The state is starting to show a credibility deficit and must recover by showing more rigor, more dialogue and transparency.

In Senegal, a certain impatience against the state of emergency and the curfew

Charlotte Idrac

To date, Senegal has recorded 45 deaths linked to Covid-19, 3,932 cases declared positive, including 1,823 currently under treatment.

Poverty explosion due to Covid-9 in Côte d'Ivoire

The National Institute of Statistics and UNDP, the United Nations development program, have just released three surveys on the socio-economic consequences of the Covid pandemic19 and the measures decreed to combat it. This is an estimate, but according to this report by the UNDP and the INS , an additional 1,375,000 households, or around 7 million people, have fallen below the poverty line. On this subject, the authors establish three scenarios. If the crisis were to last only one quarter, the poverty rate - which was around 37% before the health crisis - would increase by 4 points. + 10% if the crisis were to last two quarters. +21 points, or a poverty rate approaching 60% if the crisis were to last a year.

The economic crisis is there and there. The survey finds, for example, that in April the average monthly income of heads of household fell by 43%, from 60,000 to 34,000 francs. Another lesson: the crisis is hitting urban households much more than rural ones, and in particular households in Abidjan. And no social layer is spared. The crisis destroyed 1.3 million informal jobs, or 39%. More than a quarter of what are called "informal production units" had to stop their activity, and more than half were forced to reduce it. And still according to these surveys, the turnover of UPIs in March this year is down 82% compared to March 2019. But 88% of these informal workers think they can resume their activity after Covid-19 .

The Ivory Coast identified 86 new cases of Covid-19 on 402 samples taken on Wednesday, representing 21.4% of positive cases. The country also records 2 new deaths. The country therefore has 3,110 confirmed cases and 35 deaths.

US warns of risk of coronavirus in Tanzania

The U.S. Embassy in Tanzania has issued an alert regarding the risks of contracting the coronavirus in the East African country. She is particularly concerned about the situation in the commercial capital, Dar es Salaam. " There were certain moments during which the hospitals in Dar es Salaam reached their maximum capacity because of the large number of patients affected by Covid-19, " reads the embassy statement. Earlier this week, the Minister of Health of Tanzania assured that the epidemic was on the decline in the country, and that only four cases were still active in Dar es Salaam. But the government no longer publishes statistics on the evolution of the pandemic and the number of deaths recorded since the end of April. The latest assessment reports 509 positive tests and 21 deaths.

Africans' fears over the virus

The Deloitte firm, the Opinion Ways polling institute and the 35 ° North consulting agency are publishing a survey on Wednesday on concerns in Africa facing the coronavirus pandemic. If the greatest fear of those polled remains contamination, with eight out of ten people who say they are worried or very worried, the economic crisis that is coming is awaited with apprehension. One in two people anticipates a deterioration in their professional situation or that of their business and a decrease in their income.

With the decline of the economy, respondents express their concerns about the explosion of poverty and a possible food crisis, especially because of a lack of basic necessities, such as rice, flour and oil. However, those interviewed are in favor of the measures taken to stem the health crisis. Over 85% of those polled in Morocco, Côte d'Ivoire and the DRC show their confidence in the government.

Over 800 coronavirus positive health workers in Nigeria

According to NCDC, the Nigerian Center for Disease Control, 812 health workers have tested positive for Covid-19 since the start of the pandemic in the country. In April, several medical unions warned about their working conditions and the lack of protective equipment. The NCDC executive director assured on Tuesday that 40,000 personal protective equipment had been distributed to hospital staff treating patients suffering from coronavirus.

At the same time, Baba Tela, vice-governor of Bauchi state in northwestern Nigeria, announced that he had been contaminated with Covid-19. The governor's spokesman said he had been placed in solitary confinement, and that everyone with whom he had been in contact was also being tested. Nigeria is now the third country most affected by the coronavirus pandemic, with 10,819 confirmed cases and 314 deaths.

Tension between government and healthcare professionals in CAR

A union said it would file strike notice if its demands were not heard this week. The Ministry of Health - which considers it a minority union - responds point by point to the requests made by it. In particular, the union claims that health care workers accumulate arrears and have no risk premiums. This is false, says the minister, who assures that all personnel involved in the fight against Covid-19 are paid for as they should be. Another claim: the lack of staff training.

" We have trained and educated healthcare providers at all levels of the health system," said Minister of Health Pierre Somse. 42 regional and district doctors have been trained and awareness sessions have been organized for doctors and pharmacists. Through the various partners, community health workers have been trained across the country. There are roughly 2,000 agents from all categories who have been trained to date. It is not just a question of training, it is a question of commitment . "

Another major issue: the lack of protective equipment for healthcare workers. The minister concedes that the country lacks equipment but that the available kits have been distributed. “ These are equipment that is not always accessible. The problem of access to equipment is a global problem. It is thanks to the Chinese donations and the remains of the equipment we had for the fight against Ebola that we hold today. And these donations are not even up to the needs. They are used very sparingly, but the equipment has been made available to all hospitals for the specific needs of managing Covid cases. And efforts are being made, we have ordered equipment through the global supply platform and we have not yet received anything from this platform. "

The Minister is alerting to these problems of access to equipment. The country is now almost running out of reagents for Covid-19 testing.

Libyan schools will not reopen until mid-July

In Libya, the Ministry of Education of the Tripoli government announced the postponement of the reopening of schools, originally scheduled for June 13. Classes will resume for secondary school students from July 18. However, primary schools will have to wait until September for the start of the school year. Since the start of the global coronavirus pandemic, Libya has recorded 182 confirmed cases and five deaths.

From this Thursday, economic activity resumes at full speed in Tunisia

The Tunisian government presented this Wednesday at a press conference the provisions of the new phase of deconfinement. Industrial, construction and administrative activities can now resume at 100% of their capacity, according to the Minister for Major Projects, Lobna Jribi. Travel between the different regions is again authorized. Mosques and places of worship can also reopen from this Thursday. Official figures for the epidemic in Tunisia indicate a drop in the number of cases: only 73 active cases are registered and only one person is still hospitalized. In total, the country has recorded 1,087 cases and 49 deaths since the start of the pandemic.

Travel between provinces again authorized in Rwanda

The Rwandan government again authorizes interprovincial travel. Moto-taxis can also resume service. But this easing of restrictions does not concern the districts of Rusizi and Rubavu, in the west of the country, which have recorded twelve cases of coronavirus in recent days. The curfew remains in force throughout the territory. Places of worship and schools also remain closed.

Two new positive cases in Eritrea

Two new cases of Covid-19 have been detected in Eritrea, according to the Ministry of Information. Authorities announced in May that the 39 patients diagnosed positive in the country were cured, but the government-ordered random testing campaign in the capital has identified two positive cases: a husband and his wife. The whole family was placed in quarantine, as well as the people with whom they were in contact. Containment measures are extended.

A day of the Martyrs Day without celebrations in Uganda

All of the Martyrs Day celebrations, celebrated on June 3 in Uganda to commemorate the deaths of 45 Christians killed for their faith between 1885 and 1887, were canceled this year due to the coronavirus pandemic. Every year, millions of pilgrims go to the Uganda Martyrs' Basilica, located in Namugongo. President Yoweri Museveni shared a tribute video for his special day on his Twitter account. “ Let us continue to pray from our home. We continue to elevate our nation through our prayers and ask for God's protection for all Ugandans against Covid-19, ”he wrote.

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

Coronavirus: Africa and the pandemic on Wednesday June 3

Coronavirus: Africa and the pandemic on Wednesday June 3

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