Coronavirus: Burundi suspends all flights in and out of the country

By David Ochieng Mbewa

A medical staff member measures a man's temperature as a preventive measure against the Covid-19 coronavirus on his arrival of repatriation in Gatumba, on border with the DR Congo, in Burundi, on March 18, 2020. PHOTO | ONESPHORE NIBIGIRA | AFP

Burundi announced that it had suspended all flights in and out of the country in an attempt to prevent the spread of the coronavirus into the country.

The order applies to the Melchior Ndadaye International Airport, which is located in the country’s economic capital, Bujumbura, according to Minister in charge of Public Security, Alain-Guillaume Bunyoni.

“The borders will remain open and we strongly advise citizens not to travel to countries that already have COVID-19 cases,” Bunyoni said.

Burundi is one of 15 countries in Africa to not yet register any positive case of the coronavirus.

However, Burundi’s neighbours, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda have all registered positive cases of the coronavirus.

Burundi’s Health Minister Thadee Ndikumana reiterated that the country was on high alert to do as much as possible to prevent the spread of the virus into the country.

“We are working tirelessly to make sure that whoever enters the country from the airport, or any other border point is fully screened,” Ndikumana said.

Ndikumana added that the government had screened more than 250 Burundians who had returned to the country had been screened with none of them so far testing positive for COVID-19.

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Burundian court approves presidential candidacy of former president

Burundi's Constitutional Court has approved the presidential candidacy of former president Domitien Ndayizeye after the country's electoral body declined his application for the May 20 elections.

A court hearing held here on Thursday ruled that Ndayizeye, representing the Kira-Burundi coalition, had met the requirements to run for the presidency set by the Burundian National Independent Electoral Commission (CENI).

On March 10, the CENI had rejected Ndayizeye's application and three other hopefuls' by saying they did not meet the requirements stipulated by the country's constitution or the electoral code.

The CENI said that the four candidates can appeal against the decision to the Constitutional Court within two days.

The appeals of two other applicants including Valentin Kavakure for the National People's Front (FPN-Imboneza) party and Anicet Niyonkuru for the Council of the Patriots (CDP) party were rejected due to a shortfall in the number and qualifications of nominees.

The fourth candidate, Jacques Bigirimana of the National Liberation Forces, withdrew his appeal on March 16 at the request of his party.

The approval of Ndayizeye's candidacy brings the number of candidates to seven.

Evariste Ndayishimiye, who was president from 2003-2005, will represent the ruling party, the CNDD-FDD. The current Burundian President Pierre Nkurunziza will not run for office.

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Trump approves chloroquine for treatment of Coronavirus

United State President, Donald Trump has approved chloroquine for treatment of Coronavirus.

Chloroquine is a drug used to treat malaria and severe arthritis.

Trump speaking at a press conference on Thursday said the Chloroquine was approved as a test-treatment for COVID-19 by the Food and Drug Administration.

So far, US has recorded 150 deaths from the virus which broke out in December in Wuhan, China.

As the world is fighting to curb the spread of COVID-19, Nigeria on Thursday recorded five more cases which makes the cases 12.

The deadly virus recognised as a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) has killed over 6,000 people with over 162,000 cases in more than 50 countries.

Most countries have placed travel ban on high risk countries even as the world maintains stand still and fight for survival of economy.

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Muslims are naturally immune to coronavirus – Islamic scholar says as he asks the authorities not to stop Mosque prayers amid coronavirus crisis

An Islamic Scholar, Dr. Abubakr Imam Aliagan, has asked the President Muhammadu Buhari government, the Sultanate Council and Muslim authorities, not to shut down mosques in Nigeria over the coronavirus crisis.

Aliagan, a Professor of Islamic Studies at the University of Ilorin said on Wednesday that Muslims are immune to the coronavirus, and as such, Mosque prayers should not be banned over fear of worshippers contacting the deadly virus.

He said this while reacting to the suspension of congregational prayers at Saudi Arabia.

Saudi had on Tuesday stopped the performance of the customary five daily prayers and the weekly Jumuat prayer at other worship centres excluding the two holy mosques in Makkah and Madina.

Aliagan told PRNigeria that Nigerian Muslim males should be allowed to observe their compulsory prayers in mosques.

He claimed that Muslims have already been endowed with a natural immune system to fight coronavirus.

Aliagan stated that health officials advise people to wash their hands which Muslims do five times daily before observing their obligatory prayers.

He added that Muslim women already cover themselves and, as such, are safe.

He said: “Again, our sisters are always adorned in Hijab, some even use Niqab and gloves. So, we the Muslims already have a potent immune system against coronavirus. That is to say that we don’t have any problem.

“Even in France, I learnt that those that are completely free from contacting coronavirus are Muslim ladies and women who cover their face, use hand gloves and don’t shake hands with people.

The cleric, who is also an Imam of a Jumuat (congregation) Mosque, noted that the action of the Saudi Government is in line with Islamic teachings on preventing the spread of an epidemic in any area.

He said the Holy Prophet specifically mentioned that if there is an epidemic at a certain location, people should not go close to that danger area or place.

“While those that are living there should not come out until the epidemic is wiped out. The prophet, by implication is saying we should avoid the spread of epidemics with necessary precautionary steps.”

Aliagan argued that the Saudi authorities’ directive is only aimed at forestalling the wildfire spread of the disease.

He said: “I don’t think the Muslim Ummah and its authorities in Nigeria should toe the line of Saudi by banning congregational prayers in mosques.

“The situation in our country is quite different from what we have in the Arab world or even at some western countries. The killer scourge easily ravages their immune system and body. However, I am still saying we should go along with what the Prophet counselled.

“Which is that we should not take epidemics or any killer disease for granted. We should take all necessary precautions. Any advice from health officials should strongly be adhered to and abided by.”

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Coronavirus: Chad shuts airports despite no record of the disease

The government of Chad has decided to close its airports to all flights for two weeks over fears of COVID-19 spreading even while they are yet to record any case.

The decision was made on Monday with the north-central African country’s government disclosing in a statement that the measure will start at midnight on Thursday.

It was also noted in the statement that the ban does not apply to planes transporting goods.

The government called on “Chadians living abroad and wanting to return to the country do so within the required timeframe”.

“The land borders remain open apart from those with Sudan and the Central African Republic,” it added in a statement. The borders with those two conflict-plagued countries had been closed before the outbreak of the deadly virus in China in December.

The government also said it would “strictly limit movement outside refugee camps,” which is home to 465,000 refugees.

So far, no coronavirus case has been reported in Chad.

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Another disease outbreak announced amid coronavirus pandemic

The Philippines has detected an outbreak of avian flu in a northern province.

This was after tests showed the presence of the highly infectious H5N6 subtype in a quail farm.

Reuters reports that one of country’s top officials made the announcement.

William Dar, Agriculture Secretary, explained that the bird flu virus was discovered in Jaen municipality in Nueva Ecija province, where about 1,500 quails died on one.

He said 12,000 quails have been destroyed and buried to prevent further infections.

“We are on top of the situation. Surveillance around the 1km and 7km radius will be carried out immediately to ensure that the disease has not progressed around the said perimeter”, Dar noted.

“We would like to emphasise that this is a single case affecting one quail farm only,” Mr Dar said.

Dr Arlene Vytiaco, spokesman for Avian Flu at the Agriculture Department, noted that there is a slim possibility of transmission to humans through excretion and secretion.

The news came as the coronavirus pandemic ravages the world.

The disease has claimed 6,000 lives and affected about 150 countries in three months.

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Isis tells followers not to travel to Europe for attacks because of Covid-19 outbreak

Isis has warned its followers to avoid travelling to Europe because of the coronavirus outbreak.

Reversing its previous calls for jihadists to target the area, the terrorist group advised supporters not to enter “the land of the epidemic”.

It also appeared to back guidance to the public to wash their hands regularly.

The directive is featured in the latest issue of the group’s al-Naba newsletter, which contains a full-page of “directives to deal with epidemics” taken from Islamic texts.

Isis highlights “the obligation of taking up the causes of protection from illnesses and avoiding them”.

“The healthy should not enter the land of the epidemic and the afflicted should not exit from it,” the newsletter adds.

In a departure from official guidance from the World Health Organisation, the Isis guidance to supporters includes covering the mouth when yawning and sneezing, as well as sealing off water containers.

One featured hadith or sayings of the Prophet reads: “There is one night in the year when pestilence descends, and it does not pass by any vessel that is not covered or any waterskin that is not tied up, but some of that pestilence descends into it.”

The number of confirmed cases in Europe has passed 50,000, with more than 24,000 in Italy alone.

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Rwanda coronavirus cases rise to seven

The worldwide death toll from the disease has surpassed 6,000.

An aerial view of Kigali. Rwanda now has seven confirmed coronavirus cases. PHOTO | FILE | NATION MEDIA GROUP 

Rwanda has confirmed two more coronavirus cases, bringing the tally of infections in the country to seven.

The country's Ministry of Health on Monday evening confirmed the additional cases.

One is a 32-year-old Rwandan woman whose husband previously tested positive for the viral disease after arriving in the country from Fiji via US and Qatar.

The second confirmed case is a 61-year-old German man who arrived in Rwanda on March 13 from Germany via Istanbul. He took himself to a health facility on March 15 after developing a cough.

"Heightened vigilance is required from all residents of Rwanda. Continue to observe the instructions of health authorities, particularly washing hands regularly, avoiding large gatherings, and limiting unnecessary movements. Note that face masks do not provide protection against coronavirus and should only be used by patients and those in contact with patients," the Ministry of Health said in a statement.

Rwanda confirmed its first case on March 14, an Indian who arrived in the country from Mumbai on March 8.

The man had no symptoms on arrival but took himself to a health facility.

Of the confirmed cases in Rwanda, one is a 30-year-old local man with no travel history, puzzling local authorities.

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South Africa imposes coronavirus travel restrictions affecting US, other hard-hit countries

By Frank Miles, Paul Tilsley

In a sweeping set of measures Sunday, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said visas of citizens from high-risk countries, including the United States, have been revoked to contain the coronavirus epidemic. 

Although South Africa has seen only 61 cases of the coronavirus, and no deaths so far, according to officials, this visa shutdown appeared to be aimed at work visas.

U.S. citizens may enter the African country for 90 days without a visa. 

The president further talked about stopping U.S. citizens from entering his country starting Wednesday.

“We have decided to take urgent and drastic measures to manage the disease, protect the people of our country and reduce the impact of the virus on our society and on our economy,” the South African president said in a nationally televised address.

He added: “If we act swiftly, with purpose and collectively we can limit the effects of the coronavirus on our people and our country.”

South Africans arriving from the U.S. must be tested for the virus.

The speech was not clear on detail, but it appeared that South Africans from Italy and other truly high-risk countries such as China would need to enter quarantine upon landing back in the republic.

“It is concerning that we are now dealing with internal transmission of the virus. This situation calls for an extraordinary response; there can be no half-measures,” the president added in his address. 

He also banned gatherings of more than 100 people at a time.

In examining the spread of the pandemic, Africa – a continent of 54 nations and a total population of over 1.2 billion – as of Friday documented less than 100 cases, and only a handful of countries have recorded more than one infection. That includes South Africa, 26 in Algeria, and two in Nigeria and Burkina Faso.

There is grave concern that as coronavirus continued to increase, it eventually would spread in Africa and further overburden an already deeply strained and fragile health-care system. Michael Yao, WHO's head of emergency operations in Africa, has vowed that early detection would be pivotal because the continent's health systems "are already overwhelmed by many ongoing disease outbreaks."

The reasons behind the low number of cases recorded were multi-faceted. Experts warned that just because officials weren't declaring it did not mean that the virus was not spreading unknowingly. The overarching concern has been simply that not enough tests have been conducted, thus not enough diagnoses have been made.

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Public events suspended in Rwanda over coronavirus

Kigali also announced a suspension of entertainment events and exhibitions.

Several hand washing units have been installed in the main commuter parks in Kigali. PHOTO | CYRIL NDEGEYA | NMG

By MOSES K. GAHIGI

The hospitality industry in Rwanda is counting losses as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, despite the country not having reported a single infection.

A number of events have been postponed or cancelled following a government directive as precautionary measure. They include the Great Lakes Investment and Trade Conference 2020, which was scheduled for March 17-20 and the Cybertech Africa slated for March 11-13.

The City of Kigali also announced a suspension of entertainment events and exhibitions. Churches, hotels, bars and restaurants, offices and other public places around Kigali have put in place hand sanitisers for public use, while the government has installed mobile handwashing equipment at the main bus terminus downtown, in a public campaign on how to prevent contracting the Covid-19.

Hobe Agency, a local events company, and hosts of Africa in Colours slated for March 26-28 in Kigali, is counting losses. Chief executive Raul Rugamba, says they had already paid all vendors and suppliers of sound systems’ aeroplane tickets.

“I had already spent up to $60,000 before it was cancelled. In an event like this, everything is paid upfront,” he said.

He added that the loss is not just financial, as such events are scheduled on a global calendar, and postponing makes it costlier and even harder to get the targeted audience.

“In other countries, event organisers insure their events, but we don’t have that here, although it would really help in such a situation,” he said.

Freddie Kanani, a service provider who offers branding, accreditation and protocol services to event organisers says business has stalled arising from the complications in the industry.

Although he could not provide exact numbers because there is no data yet, Nsengiyumva Barakabuye, the president of Rwanda Hospitality Association, confirmed that hotels are increasingly getting cancellations.

After suspending its flights to Guangzhou, China in February, the national carrier, RwandAir has also suspended its flights to Tel Aviv, Israel.

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Coronavirus a punishment to US, Europe – Zimbabwe minister

Zimbabwe’s defence minister Oppah Muchinguri has described the coronavirus pandemic as a “punishment” to the US and Europe.

Muchinguri said this while speaking at a rally in the northern town of Chinhoyi on Saturday.

According to her, it’s a punishment to Europe for imposing sanctions against members of the ruling regime over human rights abuses.

She said “Coronavirus is the work of God punishing countries who imposed sanctions on us.

“They are now staying indoors. Their economies are screaming just like they did to our economy.”

Muchinguri added that COVID-19 would teach US President Donald Trump that “he is not God”.

“They must feel the effects of coronavirus and understand our pain,” she added.

The United States and the European Union had imposed sanctions on Zimbabwe’s Hugh ranking officials during the despotic rule of the country’s late ex-president Robert Mugabe

Since its outbreak in Wuhan, Coronavirus has killed almost 6,000 people worldwide and caused cancellations of sports events.

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Rwanda confirms first coronavirus case

The patient is an Indian citizen who arrived in the country from Mumbai on March 8.

Nurses wearing protective clothing handle a vial containing a potentially infected coronavirus swab at a drive-through testing centre at the University of Washington Medical campus on March 13, 2020. Rwanda on March 14, 2020 reported first coronavirus case. PHOTO | JOHN MOORE | AFP | GETTY 

By KIPLAGAT EDWIN

Rwanda announced on Saturday its first case of the new coronavirus, Covid-19.

In a statement, the Health ministry said the patient is an Indian citizen who arrived in the country from Mumbai on March 8.

“An Indian citizen who arrived from Mumbai, India on March 8, 2020 has tested positive for Coronavirus (Covid-19). 

"The patient had no symptoms upon arrival in Rwanda and reported himself to a health facility on March 13 where he was immediately tested,” the ministry said.

The ministry said that the patient is in stable condition adding that close contacts of victim have been traced.

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Coronavirus kills 5,000, hits 123 countries, 132,000 cases – WHO

The World Health Organisation (WHO) says more than 132,000 cases of Coronavirus have now been reported to WHO, from 123 countries and territories.

Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, said this at a media briefing on Friday in Geneva.

The D-G said 5,000 deaths have been recorded worldwide.

“Europe has now become the epicenter of the pandemic, with more reported cases and deaths than the rest of the world combined, apart from China”.

He disclosed that more cases are now being reported every day than were reported in China at the height of its epidemic.

The coronavirus broke out in Wuhan, China.

“We are encouraged that many countries are now acting on the eight pillars of WHO’s Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan.

“Most countries now have a national plan; most are taking a multi-sectoral approach and most have laboratory testing capacity”, the WHO chief added.

Ghebreyesus said the world body continues to support countries to prepare and respond.

“We have shipped supplies of personal protective/equipment to 56 countries, we are shipping to a further 28 countries, and we have sent almost 1.5 million diagnostic tests to 120 countries.

“Our message to countries continues to be: you must take a comprehensive approach. Not testing alone. Not contact tracing alone. Not quarantine alone. Not social distancing alone. Do it all.

“Any country that looks at the experience of other countries with large epidemics and thinks “that won’t happen to us” is making a deadly mistake. It can happen to any country,’’ he said.

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Burundi want CAF action over March qualifiers because of coronavirus

 

The Confederation of African Football has said it is to 'maintain the schedule' of all its competitions

Burundi's football federation is the latest to appeal to the Confederation of African Football (Caf) to take action over this month's Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers because of the coronavirus outbreak. 

Burundi said on Friday they will not be calling up any players from Europe for their designated matches against Mauritania on 25 and 29 March. 

"This measure is taken because of the 14 days (of quarantine) needed to enter Burundi, after having been in (Europe)," Burundi's federation said in a statement.

"The federation calls on Caf to analyse the measures needed to allow the participation of all eligible players in these matches." 

Burundi follows The Gambia in complaining about the possibility of being forced to play games when some first-team players are ineligible for selection. 

Seven of The Gambia's squad are based in Italy, which is currently undergoing a lockdown in a bid to contain the outbreak of the pandemic. 

Kenya - which has barred sports competitors from travelling abroad - has also appealed to Caf, which has told the BBC that a statement is likely to follow on Friday, and possibly Saturday too. 

A raft of sporting events have already been cancelled across the world, but Caf has stated that it will 'maintain its schedule' until an African country is declared high-risk. 

The continent has some 48 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, in a similar number of countries, scheduled for the end of the month.

So far, 16 African nations have reported the presence of coronavirus - with all the cases coming from travellers from Europe and the United States. 

Significant numbers of players in African squads are based in Europe, with 34 in the Premier League - which was postponed on Friday until early April after five clubs announced the presence of coronavirus in their camps. 

Arsenal duo Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang of Gabon and Ivory Coast's Nicolas Pepe are understood to be self-isolating after their manager Mikel Arteta tested positive for coronavirus on Thursday evening. 

"In one-two weeks, a few hundred Europe-based players will travel to Africa - some of them from high-risk zones and some of them perhaps infected by the virus without knowing," The Gambia coach Tom Saintfiet told BBC Sport Africa earlier this week. 

"They could spread the virus in airports, airplanes and communities they will visit on national team duty - so the risk is very high that the 200-400 players that will travel (from Europe) will spread the infection," the Belgian ventured.

On Thursday, this month's World Cup qualifiers in South America were cancelled by football's world governing body Fifa, which this week postponed its Congress scheduled for Ethiopia in June. 

The 2021 Nations Cup qualifiers aside, Caf also has significant competitions scheduled for April - including the African Nations Championship (CHAN) in Cameroon in April, which is when the African Champions League semi-finals are also set to take place.

A delegation from Caf's medical committee is set to visit Cameroon - which has reported two cases of coronavirus so far - on Saturday, with a view to assessing 'the preventive measures taken by the Local Organising Committee' ahead of the tournament for players based in their own leagues.

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