Coronavirus: Africa faces the pandemic Monday, June 29

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Africa counted this Monday June more than 380,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus with more than 181,000 cures and 9,664 deaths according to the WHO regional office for Africa. The countries most affected by the pandemic are South Africa (138,134), Egypt (63,923), Nigeria (24,567), Ghana (17,351), Algeria (13,273), Cameroon (12,592) and Morocco (11,986).

Publicity

• Egypt: Seven Covid-19 patients die in fire

The drama occurred Monday in Badraoui hospital, a private establishment in Alexandria, a coastal city in northern Egypt. The 7 victims are patients infected with Covid-19. 7 other people were injured among the patients and the nursing staff. According to AFP, which cites a security source, the fire was declared after a short circuit in the air conditioning system of the establishment. An investigation has been opened.

The medical profession is struggling to cope with the epidemic in a context where the infrastructures are dilapidated and the health system out of breath due to the number of infections which daily exceeds 1,000 infected people. Egypt counts today according to official figures, more than 65,000 registered cases and 2,789 deaths.

• Algeria: borders remain closed

While some countries on the continent are gradually reopening their borders to restart the economy, Algeria announced that it would keep all borders, land, sea and air, closed until the end of the pandemic, a decision taken on Sunday by President Abdelmadjid Tebboune. The country's borders have been closed since March 19, but the first deconfinement measures were taken three weeks ago. What has exposed, foci of contamination, especially in the east and southeast. An outbreak due, according to the authorities, to a loosening of compliance with the barrier measures. According to the official report published Sunday, 305 new cases were diagnosed in 24 hours in the country, a new daily record for Algeria which is the most affected country of the Maghreb with more than 13,000 cases identified and 897 deaths.

• Liberia: reopening of airspace

Monrovia-Roberts International Airport has been open to commercial flights since Monday morning after 3 months of closure due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Passengers on departure and arrival must submit to strict health measures: compulsory Covid-19 screening test, temperature measurement, social distancing, wearing a mask or registering on a mobile phone tracking application, among others, according to the local press. This reopening comes at a time when the country recorded 45 new coronavirus patients on Saturday, the highest number of daily cases since the start of the pandemic. Liberia officially has nearly 800 cases of Covid-19, 34 people have already died from the virus in the country.

• Kenya: the bar of 6,000 cases of contamination crossed

Kenya crosses the 6000 mark of Covid-19 contamination for 143 people dead, bringing the death rate down to 2.4% to date. The Kenyan president is due to address the nation by the end of the week and could announce a reduction in containment measures. For three months, three major cities in the country have been confined. It is prohibited to enter and enter the capital Nairobi, Mombasa on the coast and Mandera, bordering Ethiopia and Somalia. The curfew is in effect from 9 p.m. until 4 a.m. Measures which could therefore be relaxed. There is great hope among the population as the airline Kenya Airways announces the resumption of domestic flights in the coming days. A decision confirmed by the President of Kenya himself.

• Seychelles: 70 West African sailors positive for Covid-19

These 70 sailors had just arrived in Seychelles to embark on Spanish tuna vessels. They tested positive for Covid-19, the Seychelles authorities announced on Monday. They are part of a group of 200 people and are from Benin, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Senegal and Ghana. They were to replace crews who have just spent 6 months at sea fishing for tuna.
According to AFP, the Seychelles authorities had demanded before the arrival of these sailors, certificates proving that they were not infected.

"  Before coming to Seychelles, they were tested in Senegal and Ivory Coast and their results were negative, which enabled them to obtain the Covid-19 certificate which is a condition of entry into Seychelles  " , said the archipelago's public health commissioner, Jude Gedeon. He added that "  the seamen are currently in solitary confinement on their ship because they have no symptoms of the disease  ". Seychelles had only registered 11 cases of Covid-19, all imported, and had not recorded any new cases since April 6.

Like all countries, Seychelles closed its borders in April to prevent the spread of the virus. The international airport is closed and cruise ships are still not allowed to dock. Tourism, the first economic sector being at half mast, the archipelago turned to fishing, the second economic source by accepting the rotation of crews.

• Libya: infected people victims of discrimination

35 new people have been infected with coronavirus in the past 24 hours, according to the national center for disease control. There were also three new deaths from the virus. Libya has identified 762 official cases, this figure is undoubtedly underestimated because tests are rare and very few people are tested. Several hospitals in the country still refuse to receive the people infected with Covid 19, which prompted Saand Akkoub, the Minister of Health of the government of national unity to appeal to all hospitals and medical centers so that they receive patients and thus reduce the risk of spreading the virus.

In addition, a nurse of Filipino nationality, tested positive for the coronavirus, was the victim of discrimination and threats in Tripoli. Members of his community also suffered discriminatory treatment. Actions that prompted the Philippine embassy in Libya to ask the political authorities in Tripoli to ensure the safety of Filipino nationals and especially those working in the health sector. This case has aroused indignation among the population because there are more than a thousand caregivers from the Philippines in Libya.

• Madagascar: medical interns on strike

In great demand in the care of patients affected by the coronavirus,
medical interns on the Big Island began a strike on Monday. They demand more protective equipment, and denounce the saturation of services dedicated to Covid patients when the country has just crossed the bar of 2,000 cases recorded for 18 people died.

• Guinea: reopening of schools

Classes resumed on Monday in schools and universities. However, this recovery only concerns exam classes and students at the end of the cycle. Sanitary measures have been implemented in the establishments, such as social distancing, taking a temperature, washing the hands and wearing a mask. However, parents' associations deplore the fact that all the schools concerned by the reopening have not received hygiene kits in order to receive pupils in good sanitary conditions.
The other pupils and students will have to wait until July 6 to return to class.

• DRC-Central African Republic: doing cross-border prevention

In order to better control the spread of the virus in the Central African Republic and the DRC, teams from the Coordination Organization for the Fight against Endemics in Central Africa (OCEAC) have been crisscrossing for several weeks, the cross-border areas of the Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa (CEMAC) to raise awareness of the coronavirus. The OCEAC has already traveled more than 10,000 km for this outreach awareness. A prevention campaign was launched this weekend between the localities of Moungoumba on the Central African side and Bétou in the Republic of Congo. This cross-border area serves as a place of exchange for populations both by land and by river.

• Burkina Faso: massive and voluntary screening

The Burkinabè authorities have opted for a massive and voluntary screening campaign after an increase in cases of virus infections. People are invited to go to the centers indicated for free screening at Covid-19. One of these centers is the Pôgbi medical center, which receives around sixty people a day. The number of people infected has been on the decline, but has been on the rise in recent days.
Burkina Faso today has 959 infected people and 53 deaths.

• DRC: progressive deconfinement in the Gombe

Several services reopened on Monday in the commune of Gombe, the business center of the Congolese capital, Kinshasa. Banks, stores, public administration, as well as restaurants and cafes reopened on Monday. However, several measures remain in force, maintaining the closure of the central market, schools, discos, churches and stadiums. Wearing a mask is also compulsory in transport. Except for the motorcycle taxis which still do not have the authorization to enter the municipality, the citizens can circulate, the confinement ended there Sunday evening and the barriers were lifted.

The services which are authorized to reopen must nevertheless be subject to compliance with certain rules, such as, among other things, disinfecting the premises before reopening, providing themselves with hand washing devices and hydroalcoholic gels, ensuring compliance with barrier gestures in establishments. .
According to the governor of the capital, the people of Kinshasa must learn to live with the Covid-19. Gentiny Ngobila, however, urges them to observe cleanliness in the city center and to respect barrier gestures to combat the spread of the pandemic.

► Read also: Deconfinement in Gombe in the DRC: the desperation of sellers in the central market which remains closed

Our selection on the coronavirus

• Listen to our Coronavirus Info column 

• Our  explanations  :
→  What we know about the mode of contagion
→  Disparities and inequalities in the face of 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  ”
→ “  Words of nurses  ”

• 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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