The picture of the Covid-19 pandemic on the African continent remains mixed.

New cases are increasing in East, North and Southern Africa but instead tend to decline in West and Central Africa, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) of the African Union.

"At least 25 African countries have recorded an increase of more than 20% of cases" in November, with now 11,000 new cases per day, warned, Thursday, December 17, Dr Nsenga Ngoy of the World Organization of health (WHO), from Brazzaville.

However, according to some experts, the peak of the second wave has still not been reached, they prefer to speak of “tremors”.

The World Health Organization speaks of a “worrying” 50% increase in deaths over the past six weeks in Africa and calls for increased vigilance.

According to Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director general of the organization, the African continent is "at a turning point". 

Curfews and beach closures in South Africa

The country most affected by Covid-19 on the continent, South Africa has revamped its health restrictions with measures announced Monday by President Cyril Ramaphosa, including an early curfew at 11 p.m. limitation of gatherings and the occasional closure during the holidays of many beaches in the south-east of the country at the start of the southern summer.

South Africa surpassed the 10,000-case mark in 24 hours on Thursday, and the positivity rate stood at 21%.

The country of nearly 58 million inhabitants has more than 23,000 deaths since the start of the pandemic.

Closure of universities and courts in Mali

The rise in cases continues in Mali as well, where a peak of more than 150 cases per day was recorded in early December.

"We are seeing an increase in severe cases requiring oxygen, especially in Bamako, which was not the case during the first wave," warned Isabelle Defourny, director of operations at Médecins sans frontières (MSF) in Africa. .

Mali, a poor country in West Africa facing a security, social and economic crisis, was relatively spared at the start of the pandemic.

Only 5,878 cases have been officially recorded, of which 205 are fatal, for a population of around 20 million.

While performing 500 daily tests during the first peak in March, Mali now organizes "nearly 2,500 daily", according to Bamako.

During the council of ministers on Wednesday, the Minister of Health stressed that the evolution of the disease was "marked by a continuous increase in the number of cases tested positive and of deaths", a situation considered "worrying", according to a statement of the government.

Curfew and ban on parties in the DRC 

In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the presidency speaks of a "second wave" of Covid-19, which mainly affects the capital Kinshasa.

A curfew has been implemented from December 18 across the country between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m.

On the eve of the end of the year celebrations, the ban on festive ceremonies and meetings of more than 10 people was also decreed.

Public marches, artistic productions and fairs have also been banned.

The authorities have opted for the pursuit of sports competitions behind closed doors, transporting the remains directly to the burial sites without any further ceremony.

Before the start of the curfew, customers and worshipers must respect barrier measures in churches and drinking establishments.

In Congolese schools, primary and secondary students will go "on early vacation from this Friday, December 18" and in the country's universities, "the resumption of classes is postponed to a later date" specified the presidency, without giving the date of resumption. 

The DRC, which has more than 80 million inhabitants, is relatively spared in total number of cases.

The country has just under 15,000 for 364 deaths since March 10, according to official figures.

But an increase has been recorded for a few weeks with 345 new cases, including 298 in Kinshasa, according to the latest bulletin from the health authorities, which also report six new deaths on Tuesday.

"This second wave is mainly due to the importation of cases from abroad," President Félix Tshisekedi indicated to Parliament on Monday.

Travelers are systematically tested on their arrival in the DRC since October 31.

Night curfew and suspended prayer in Mauritania

Another African state to adopt the curfew, Mauritania announced on December 13 the ban on travel from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. in an attempt to prevent the saturation of hospitals in this country with limited sanitary means.

The director of public health Sidi Ould Zehave said the day before that hospitals "were approaching saturation" and that 60% of medical personnel were requisitioned in health centers.

The collective Friday prayer is also suspended in mosques until further notice, the Ministry of Islamic Affairs said in a statement.

Mauritania had already announced in early December the closure of schools and universities, as well as the ban on public ceremonies.

The closure of educational establishments, initially scheduled for two weeks, is extended until January 4, the Ministry of Education announced.

After a decline, Mauritania is again experiencing a significant increase in the number of contaminations: seven deaths and 279 additional cases were recorded, during an assessment on December 12.

Mauritania has officially declared more than 10,000 cases and 222 deaths since the appearance of the virus at the end of March 2020, for a population of around 4 million.

Closure of restaurants and ban on dancing in Dakar 

In Senegal, restaurants and bars in the Dakar region close at 11 p.m. at the latest and have ceased music and dancing since December 12.

The governor of the region invoked "the worrying curve of progression" of Covid-19 in the Dakar area, which concentrates the vast majority of cases of contamination.

These restrictions are in addition to those recently put back on the agenda by the Ministry of the Interior, such as the compulsory wearing of masks in public and private services and transport, or the ban on gatherings on sports grounds. , beaches or in theaters and public spaces.

After months of decline, Senegal has recently experienced a significant increase in contamination.

Since the appearance of the first case in March, Senegal has officially declared more than 17,000 cases and 349 deaths, according to the official report of December 12.

Health workers strikes in Tunisia and Kenya

In other African countries, healthcare workers are under strain.

In Tunisia, doctors went on strike at the beginning of December to demand a profound reform of their health system. 

Management deficiencies in the health sector add to a worrying situation with 104,329 cases identified, including 3,596 deaths, according to the official report of December 14.

The curfew in force in several large Tunisian cities since October was extended across the country in early December until March 31.

It is therefore forbidden to travel between 8 p.m. and 5 a.m. and to gather more than 30 people for private events.

Wearing a mask is mandatory and cafes must remove chairs from 4 p.m. to limit crowds, while hookahs are prohibited in public spaces.

The same anger among healthcare workers in Kenya, where nurses have been on strike since December 7.

While the Kenyan health system is in crisis, a second wave in September led to a curfew and schools closed.

Some health professionals are already waiting for "the third wave". 

Elsewhere, restrictions continue, such as in Rwanda, which recorded almost as many new cases in December (722), as since the start of the pandemic (797).

Bars and nightclubs have remained closed in the country since March.

In neighboring Uganda, all regions are now affected.

With AFP

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