A public health official sprays a closed market as a preventive measure against the COVID-19 pandemic, in Nakuru, Kenya, March 27, 2020. (Xinhua/Sheikh Maina)
About 44 African countries have banned mass gatherings, closed public spaces and educational institutions due to concerns related to the spread of COVID-19 pandemic across the continent. About 17 countries across the continent have also imposed "night-time curfews", in which seven of the countries have imposed curfews only, while ten of them included lockdowns.
ADDIS ABABA, April 5 (Xinhua) -- About 44 African countries have already banned mass gatherings, closed public spaces and educational institutions due to concerns related to the spread of COVID-19 pandemic across the continent, the Africa Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) disclosed on Saturday.
"About 44 African countries have banned mass gatherings, closed public spaces and closed educational institutions," the Africa CDC, specialized healthcare agency of the 55-member African Union (AU), disclosed in its latest continental situation update on COVID-19 issued on Saturday.
The continental disease control and prevention agency further disclosed that some 12 African countries have also put in place "national lockdown measures, eventually restricting non-essential movement across the whole country."
The Africa CDC also disclosed that additional 12 other countries in Africa have also put in place "partial lockdown," which imposed restriction of non-essential movements within an area in the respective African countries.
A woman wearing mask walks past closed shops in Kampala, Uganda, March 26, 2020. (Xinhua/Nicholas Kajoba)
According to the Africa CDC, some 17 countries across the continent have also imposed "night-time curfews," in which seven of the countries have imposed curfews only, while ten of them included lockdowns.
Meanwhile, the Africa CDC also on Saturday disclosed that the death toll from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic in the African continent has reached 313 as confirmed positives cases surpassed 7,741 as of Saturday.
The Africa CDC also disclosed that the Northern African region is the most affected area across the continent both in terms of positive COVID-19 cases, as well as number of deaths, in which Northern African countries have so far registered 3,280 positive COVID-19 cases as well as 217 deaths due to the pandemic as of the stated period.
The southern Africa region, which is the second highly affected in the continent, has so far registered 1,601 confirmed COVID-19 cases, while the western African region has registered 1,439 confirmed COVID-19 cases.
The Africa CDC also disclosed that some 640 people who were infected with the COVID-19 have recovered across the continent. ■
