(Reuters) - Several African countries on Sunday closed
borders, cancelled flights and imposed strict entry and quarantine requirements
to contain the spread of the new coronavirus, which has a foothold in 26
nations on the continent as cases keep rising.
“The government is
suspending travel for all persons coming into Kenya from any country with
reported coronavirus cases ... only Kenyan citizens, and any foreigners with
valid residence permits will be allowed to come in provided they proceed on
self quarantine,” President Uhuru Kenyatta told the nation in a televised
address.
Anyone entering Kenya in the last 14 days should
self-quarantine, he said. The ban would take effect within 48 hours and remain
in place for at least 30 days, he said.
Schools should close immediately and universities by the
end of the week, he said. Citizens would be encouraged to make cashless
transactions to cut the risk of handling contaminated money, he said.
In west Africa, Ghana will from Tuesday ban entry to anyone
who has been to a country with more than 200 cases in the last 14 days, unless
they are an official resident or a Ghanaian national.
In southern Africa, Namibia ordered schools to close for a
month following two confirmed cases of coronavirus announced on Saturday.
Other nations have also shuttered schools, cancelled
religious festivals and sporting events to minimize the risk of coronavirus
transmission. Some 156,500 people worldwide have been infected and almost 6,000
have died.
Kenya and Ethiopia have now recorded three and four cases
respectively, authorities in each nation said on Sunday, two days after they
both reported their first case. All the new cases were discovered through
tracing the contacts of the first case in each country, authorities said.
Djibouti, which has no confirmed case of COVID-19,
announced on Sunday it is suspending all international flights. Tanzania, which
also has no cases yet, cancelled flights to India and suspended school games.
As of Sunday, cases have been reported in Morocco, Tunisia,
Egypt, Algeria, Senegal, Togo, Cameroon, Burkina Faso, Democratic Republic of
Congo, South Africa, Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Sudan, Kenya,
Ethiopia, Mauritania, Rwanda, Seychelles, eSwatini, Namibia, Central African
Republic, Congo Brazzaville and Equatorial Guinea.
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