ADDIS ABABA, April 4 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Lesotho, Comoros, South Sudan and São Tomé and Príncipe are the remaining African countries yet to record a single case of coronavirus.
Fifty African countries as at April 3 had recorded cases of coronavirus totalling over 7,000.
So far 284 deaths have been recorded with 561 recoveries across the region.
MALAWI was the latest nation which has now reported its first three confirmed cases of coronavirus.
The three cases were in the capital, Lilongwe. The first patient is a 61-year-old woman who recently travelled to India.
Two of her contacts – her domestic worker and a relative – also tested positive.
SOUTH AFRICA: Police forced the evacuation of hundreds of foreign migrants who had been sheltering in a church premise for months.
Wearing riot gear, the police officers broke down the front door of the church and forced their way.
The migrants refused to leave the church, demanding that the government relocates them.
The operation at the Central Methodist Church was aimed at ending a long standoff between the group of foreign nationals and city authorities.
South Africa is in the midst of a 21-day lockdown due to coronavirus pandemic; hence the migrants will have to remain at the temporary camp for at least the remaining two weeks of the lockdown.
Last month, police undertook a similar operation to remove migrants who had been camping in the square outside the church.
TANZANIA’s immigration department has extended visas for foreign nationals who can’t leave the country because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Foreign visitors, who applied online, were given visa extensions of three months.
The extension starts from the date the traveller arrives in Tanzania – if their arrival is within the three months covered by their original visa application.
Tanzania has reported 20 cases of coronavirus to date, including one death and two recovered patients.
The ministry of health has said it was tracing and monitoring over 500 individuals who are believed to have had contact with those who have tested positive.
RWANDA’s fight against coronavirus has been boosted with $109 million credit from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which is expected to help in softening the economic impact of the pandemic.
The funds will “serve to meet Rwanda’s urgent balance of payment needs stemming from the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic.”
“The IMF emergency support under the Rapid Credit Facility will help with Covid19-related pressures on trade, tourism and foreign exchange reserves, and will provide much-needed resources for health expenditure and for households and firms affected by the crisis. It should also help to catalyse donor support,” said Tao Zhang, IMF Deputy Managing Director.
It also advised that once the crisis abates, Rwanda should adjust its fiscal policies to preserve debt sustainability in the medium-term, and contingency plans should be prepared given the uncertain outlook.
Last week, Rwanda received $1 million from the American government to fight the virus pandemic.
The country implemented a countrywide lockdown last month and extended it by a further two weeks till mid-April in the face of rising coronavirus cases.
Rwanda has as at Friday recorded 82 cases of coronavirus. — NNN-AGENCIES
