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by Tsirisena MANJAKAHERY with AFP bureaux in Africa Agence France Presse No one can remember ever seeing as many people heading out of Antananarivo along national highway number 7. Madagascans have joined the exodus in their hundreds in recent days, forming long queues to get away after the authorities declared a lockdown to try to prevent the spread of the coronavirus epidemic. Richard Rakotoarisoa hit the road during the morning, surrounded by dozens of […]
by Sofia CHRISTENSEN and Susan NJANJI with AFP African bureaux Agence France Presse JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (AFP) — South Africa recorded its first two deaths from the novel coronavirus on Friday as the number of confirmed cases breached the 1,000 mark just hours after a three-week nationwide lockdown swung into action. “This morning we wake South Africans up with sad news that we now have our first deaths resulting from COVID-19,” Health Minister Zweli […]
by Sophie Pons with Algiers, Rabat and Tunis bureaux RABAT, Morocco (AFP) — In Algeria, Tunisia, and Morocco, workers in informal jobs fear not only the novel coronavirus, but how they will survive emergency measures that have cut off their livelihoods. “We are stuck at home, with no work and no pay,” said Hakim, a 30-year-old father who until last week worked in a bar-restaurant in the Moroccan capital Rabat. His boss told employees he […]
ABUJA, Nigeria (AFP) — Nigeria on Wednesday received test kits and protective gear from China’s richest man, Jack Ma, to help fight novel coronavirus, which has so far claimed one life and infected 45 others in Africa’s most populous nation. Nigeria’s top health official, Abdulaziz Abdullahi, told AFP that the country had received 100,000 face masks, 1,000 protective gowns and 20,000 test kits. The equipment will be distributed to frontline health workers and hospital laboratories, […]
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (AFP) — South Africa reported that its number of confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus jumped to 709 on Wednesday from 554 the previous day, an increase of 28 percent. South Africa, which now has the highest number of infections on the continent, has ordered a 21-day lockdown which rolls into action at midnight on Thursday. “Right now we have actually increased from yesterday, we are now at 709 cases,” Health Minister […]
KINSHASA, DR Congo (AFP) — DR Congo’s President Felix Tshisekedi on Tuesday declared a state of emergency and ordered the isolation of the capital Kinshasa from the rest of the country to avoid the spread of coronavirus. The new measures include a ban on all travel from Kinshasa to the provinces and from the provinces to the capital to allow for the confinement of the city, he said. “Given the seriousness and the dangerous nature […]
by Sophie Bouillon and AFP bureaux in Africa LAGOS, Nigeria (AFP) — Equipment shortages, scarce beds, and poorly-paid doctors and nurses: Africa is finding that it has few means to protect itself as a feared coronavirus tsunami looms. Earth’s poorest continent has so far confirmed around 1,800 cases and 57 deaths — a tally that is low compared with Europe, the Middle East, and Asia but is now ratcheting up quickly as testing remains patchy. […]
TUNIS, Tunisia (AFP) — Tunisian police arrested more than 400 people for breaking a night-time curfew imposed to fight the spread of coronavirus, the authorities said Monday. Around 30 of the 408 transgressors who were arrested remained in custody, while the others were released after a warning, Interior Minister Hichem Mechichi told reporters. “Anyone who breaks the security rules will be treated as a criminal because failing to respect rules within the context of the […]
by Susan NJANJI PRETORIA, South Africa (AFP) — Numerous sub-Saharan countries acted to stem the spread of coronavirus on Monday, with South Africa announcing a soldier-patrolled lockdown and Senegal and Ivory Coast each declaring a state of emergency. The pandemic had been slow to spread in Africa compared to the Middle East and Europe, but in recent days the number of deaths and infections has increased, sparking concerns about the continent’s vulnerability to contagious diseases. […]
CAIRO, Egypt (AFP) — A second senior military officer in Egypt has died of the new coronavirus, state television reported Monday, as the officially declared death toll stood at 14 from 327 cases recorded nationwide. Major General Shafee Dawood, head of major infrastructure projects at the military engineering authority, became the latest high-ranking figure in Egypt to die from COVID-19 in hospital. His death comes after Major General Khaled Shaltout, the army’s chief of water […]
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (AFP) — South Africa on Wednesday recorded its highest 24-hour increase in coronavirus infections to date, with 31 new cases taking the country’s tally up to 116, the government announced. Africa’s most industrialized economy is the most affected in sub-Saharan Africa and second-most impacted on the continent after Egypt, which has recorded 196 cases. The country’s first coronavirus infection, confirmed on March 5, was detected in a man who had arrived from […]
BANJUL, Gambia (AFP) — The Gambia has recorded its first case of coronavirus, the country’s health minister said on Tuesday, after the government also announced measures to contain its spread. In a televised statement, Health Minister Ahmadou Lamin Samateh said officials in the tiny West African state had confirmed infection in a young woman who had recently traveled from the United Kingdom. She went into self-isolation after feeling feverish, before being confirmed as a positive […]
