Lagos – African countries led by Nigeria and South
Africa have ramped up action against the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) after the
continent recorded its first fatality.
Nigeria said on Thursday it would shut schools and
limit religious meetings in its economic hub Lagos and capital Abuja, while
South Africa, the continent’s most industrialised economy, slashed a key
interest rate to help shore up business.
Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation and home to
some 200 million people, has so far recorded just 12 confirmed cases of Covid-19
and is following other countries in ratcheting up its response.
Lagos state government said schools in the city of
some 20 million would be shut from Monday. It said there was now “local
transmission” of the virus in the city.
Ogun state neighbouring Lagos and regions in the
northwest of the country introduced similar measures.
Imposing the restrictions in chaotic and overcrowded
Lagos will be a major challenge for the authorities, with the city home to
so-called “megachurches” where thousands of worshippers gather each
weekend.
Africa is no stranger to deadly viral outbreaks – the
2014-16 Ebola epidemic killed more than 11 000 on the continent – but so far
the coronavirus appears to have spread more slowly there compared to Asia and
Europe.
It has reported little more than 700 out of the
nearly quarter-million cases worldwide, according to a tally compiled by AFP.
The figure comprises North and sub-Saharan Africa.
But health specialists say the continent is a
potential breeding ground for the virus, given poor sanitation, poverty, urban
overcrowding and creaking medical systems.
Interest rate slashed
In South Africa, the Reserve Bank on Thursday cut
its main interest rate by a full percentage point to 8.75% to try to bolster
its already battered economy.
The bank said there could be a contraction of 0.2%
this year, but cautioned “significant uncertainty” clouded forecasts
given the impact of the virus.
Separately, the government declared it would erect
or repair 40km of fence along its border with Zimbabwe to stop undocumented or
infected people crossing the border.
In West Africa, Mauritania, which has already
closed its airports to flights to and from foreign destinations and shuttered
its schools, announced a night-time curfew, from 20:00 to 06:00, with immediate
effect.
Sierra Leone said it would suspend all flights incoming
and outgoing from Saturday until further notice.
The former British colony was badly hit by the
2014-2016 West Africa Ebola outbreak, which killed almost 4 000 people in the
country.
Senegal – which reported 38 cases as of Thursday – authorised
six flights to pick up stranded travellers in Dakar and fly them to Paris, the
French embassy said.
The government of the Muslim-majority nation also
announced that all mosques in the capital Dakar would be closed until further
notice.
Despite deepening concern in the region, Mali said
a much-delayed parliamentary poll – whose first round is due to take place on 29
March, with a runoff on 19 April – will take place as scheduled.
The elections have been postponed several times
since 2018 because of jihadist violence.
Sahel spread
On Wednesday, Burkina Faso said it had recorded the
death of a 62-year-old female legislator with diabetes – sub-Saharan Africa’s
first fatality from the new virus.
Also in the Sahel region, Chad and Niger reported
their first coronavirus cases, both in men returning from abroad.
In East Africa, Ethiopian Prime Minister and Nobel
laureate Abiy Ahmed urged citizens not to discriminate against nationalities in
the fear over the virus.
“Prevention efforts need not be a barrier to
our humanity and disposition for compassion,” Abiy said.
“As a global community, we are each other’s
keepers. Let us not let fear rob us of our humanity.”
The US embassy in the country issued a security
alert saying it had received reports that foreigners had “been attacked
with stones, denied transportation services…spat on, chased on foot, and been
accused of being infected with Covid-19”.
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