(5 minutes read)
· The Africa Centers for Disease Control has a target of
conducting 1 million more tests in Africa over the next four weeks and
10 million tests in the next four months to combat the pandemic.
· Officials in Mauritania say the country does not have any
active case of coronavirus as of now after all six patients tested
negative out of the seven confirmed cases. Mauritania is one of the
few African countries that have so far recorded single digit
infections like Burundi, Sao Tome and Principe, South Sudan with
five, four and four cases respectively as of April 21.
· In Tanzania, a lawmaker has tested positive for the virus.
This has led to demand for a suspension of parliamentary sitting. The
unnamed MP is believed to have contracted the virus during a trip to
the commercial capital Dar es Salaam.
· The Zimbabwean government said that 65 people who had
returned from the United Kingdom and are currently being quarantined.
There was a protest by the returnees over where the government had
moved to quarantine them. But the officials bemoaned why the
returnees had agreed to return but were refusing a state quarantine
facility.
· Madagascar has announced the launch of a traditional remedy
for the COVID-19 disease. President Andry Rajoelina said the
medication called Covid-Organics was a traditional remedy composed
of Artemisia & Malagasy medicinal plants.
· Tanzania is one of few Africans countries that had refused
to close its borders despite the virus. Also, there is currently no
lockdown in the East African country and religious gatherings have not
been banned.
· Rwanda is in full lockdown as is Uganda while Kenya is using
a dawn to dusk curfew to control spread. All academic activities have
been suspended.
· The United States has condemned reports of racist attacks on
African nationals in the Chinese city of Guangzhou calling the videos
and stories “appalling.” America had over the weekend condemned the
actions which it said targeted African Americans as well.
· The African Union, Chairperson and South African president,
Cyril Ramaphosa, appointed a four-member team to help coordinate
Africa’s international efforts at combating the pandemic. The newly
appointed envoys are tasked with mobilizing international support for
Africa’s efforts to address the economic challenges African countries
will face as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Special envoys
will be tasked with soliciting rapid and concrete support as pledged
by the G20, the European Union and other international financial
institutions, a statement read.
· Reports of mistreatment meted out to Africans in the Chinese
city of Guangzhou have drawn the ire of a number of people on social
media. Nigerian government summoned the Chinese ambassador to express
their protest.
· The Namibian president disclosed that he had held talks with
his Chinese counterpart as part of efforts to strengthen Africa’s
response to COVID-19. “I also expressed gratitude to President XI for
China’s support and care of over 500 Namibian students in Wuhan and
China during this pandemic,” Hage Geingob added.
