As the rampaging Covid-19 virus has reached the nooks and cranny of Africa from Cairo to Cape and St. Louis to the Horn with all but 12 countries yet to record cases, there is the likelihood that the continent will start implementing series of checks and restrictions that might lead to a lockdown. This became necessary because of the state of health infrastructure in the continent and also poor human capacity in the health sector. As at the time of press, over 80 percent of African countries have either shut down their air space or on the verge of shutting it down, as at last week, there were still some international flights within the continent, but this week will witness only skeletal air transportation and border closures.
The dangers posed by the Covid-19 virus in Africa is that as the continent has the highest number of young people, the tendency for many of the cases to be asymptomatic is high, thus giving health officials a false statistics, whereas the same young people will transmit the virus to older folks who will get sick and may die. This presents a dilemma to African health officials thus the need for a wider cordon to be able to address the situation. For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms such as fever and cough and the vast majority recover in 2-6 weeks but for some, especially older adults and people with existing health issues, the virus that causes COVID-19 can result in more severe illness, including pneumonia.
Read also :Seychelles Gets $800k Blue Economy Fund from African Private Sector Assistance (FAPA) Grant
Rwanda kickstarted the lockdown through a government order insisting that all unnecessary movements outside the home are banned for two weeks as of midnight except for essential services such as health care and shopping. It has registered 17 confirmed cases already thus ordering all public and private employees to work from home. Tunisia earlier imposed a lockdown as well.
Uganda, Eritrea and Angola announced their first cases, meaning 42 of Africa’s 54 countries are now affected. Congo and Ghana reported their first death; Burkina Faso reported two new ones. Uganda is closing its borders to all but cargo. Ethiopia said all arriving passengers will face mandatory quarantine as of Monday. Republic of Congo and Ghana are closing their borders. But Somalia is lifting its ban on international flights for two days so stranded citizens can come home.
Read also : Algeria ’s Ministry of Startups Launches Mobile App To Limit Coronavirus Spread
Nigeria’s international flight ban came a day after Africa’s busiest airport, in Johannesburg, blocked foreigners from disembarking and two major airlines — Ethiopian Airlines and South African Airways — announced sweeping cancellations of international flights. The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority said “emergency and essential” flights are exempt from the ban that starts Monday. An adviser to President Muhammadu Buhari, Bashir Ahmad, said Nigeria also plans to suspend passenger rail services starting then.
But in a twist, two African presidents defied their own travel restrictions to attend the inauguration of the president of Namibia. While Angola closed air, land and sea borders this week, President Joao Lourenco attended Saturday’s inauguration of Namibian President Hage Geingob. Also there was President Mokgweetsi Masisi of Botswana, which this week suspended international travel by all government employees. Namibia has three cases. Speaking on his presence at the event inspite of the danger it portends, President Lourenco of Angola said that “my conscience tells me … I did not give a bad example to Angolans,” saying his earlier decree left room for extraordinary circumstances. Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa also was there. His country had on Saturday, announced the first case in the capital, Harare.
Read also:A Coronavirus Survival Strategy for Your Startup
But of all cases, Burkina Faso seems to have the shorter end of the stick. It now has the most virus deaths of any country in sub-Saharan Africa and the most cases in West Africa with 64. Several government ministers there have tested positive. On Friday, President Roch Marc Christian Kabore announced the country’s two international airports would close for two weeks with exceptions for military and cargo. Burkina Faso is one of Africa’s most fragile states with a growing humanitarian crisis caused by attacks linked to Islamic extremists. More than 130 health centers have closed, the government and aid groups say. The government has drawn up a plan which experts say is insufficient as the emergency teams aren’t trained for a respiratory disease outbreak and don’t have appropriate protective gear. Moreso, there is insufficient screening at borders. Of Burkina Faso’s 44 high-flow entry points, only 23% have coronavirus screening devices.
Read also : Coronavirus: Nigeria ’s Central Bank Cuts Interests Rate For Startups And Businesses, Launches $136m Fund
World Health Organisation (WHO) has expressed worries over the likely outcome of events in the coming weeks in Burkina Faso. Most people only experience minor flu-like symptoms from the coronavirus and recover within a few weeks, but the virus is highly contagious and can be spread by those who appear well. It can cause severe illness, including pneumonia, in some patients, particularly those with underlying health problems.
With over 300,000 confirmed cases globally and over 11,000 deaths, according to a running tally by Johns Hopkins University. At least 88,000 people have recovered. In Nigeria, which just three weeks ago announced the first coronavirus case in sub-Saharan Africa, authorities said that first patient, a man who had traveled from Italy, was now fit to go home. In Kenya, health officials disinfected crowded markets in the capital, Nairobi. “It’s for the sake of us, it’s for the sake of the country,” said Simon Kimani, public health council chairman.
Critics say that many Africans were reluctant to take the issue of Covid-19 serious due to earlier information that it does not survive in hot temperatures and that Africans are immune to it, this misinformation led many to bring down their guards. But with current developments, African leaders need to rise to the occasion or face a huge problem in their hands, says Prof. Dave Ansah.
Kelechi Deca
Kelechi Deca has over two decades of media experience, he has traveled to over 77 countries reporting on multilateral development institutions, international business, trade, travels, culture, and diplomacy. He is also a petrol head with in-depth knowledge of automobiles and the auto industry