African nations close borders, cancel flights

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 28 nations on the continent as cases keep rising.South African president Cyril Ramaphosa on Sunday night declared a national state of disaster.Measures to be taken include travel bans to countries such as Italy, Germany, China and the United States. Ramaphosa said government has cancelled visas to visitors from high-risk countries from Sunday, with previously granted visas also revoked.“Any foreign national who has visited high-risk countries in the past 20 days will be denied a visa,” he said, adding that South Africans who visited targeted countries would be subjected to testing and quarantine when returning home.“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,” Kenyan president Uhuru Kenyatta on Sunday 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.RegionsIn West Africa, Ghana will from today 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 minimise the risk of coronavirus transmission. 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, confirmed it first case yesterday, cancelled flights to India and suspended school games.As of yesterday afternoon, cases have been reported in Morocco, Tunisia, Liberia, Egypt, Algeria, Senegal, Togo, Cameroon, Burkina Faso, Democratic Republic of Congo, South Africa, Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Tanzania, Sudan, Kenya, Ethiopia, Mauritania, Rwanda, Seychelles, eSwatini, Namibia, Central African Republic, Congo Brazzaville and Equatorial Guinea. IMFGlobal governments must work together to provide massive spending as in the 2008 financial crisis to help the economy withstand the damage from the coronavirus pandemic, IMF chief Kristalina Georgieva said yesterday.Emerging markets are facing a massive outflow of cash and will need support as well, she said in a blog post.She again pledged that the International Monetary Fund “stands ready to mobilize its US$1 trillion lending capacity to help our membership,” including US$50 billion in rapidly deployed funds for emerging and developing economies. – Nampa/AFPOmar Mohammed and Duncan Miriri -

African nations close borders, cancel flights

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Republikein 2026-06-23

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African nations close borders, cancel flights

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