COVID-19 infection in Africa
The novel Coronavirus pandemic today has spread virtually to every country in the world since its emergence in China in December 2019. Every corner of the world is fighting the virus with their full capacity and resources. Africa, which reported its first case in Egypt on February 14, 2020 saw its initial influx of cases, mostly through Europe due to business and tourist movements, and less from China.
Senegal’s reporting first positive case
Senegal became the fourth country in Africa to confirm the infection when on March 2, 2020; Dakar the capital city reported its first case. The contact tracing showed the link to a travel to Italy. Within a span of a month the cases surged to 195, with the first community transmission detected on March 20, 2020. After the first detection in Dakar, the virus has spread to 6 regions in the country with Diourbel, a town in western Senegal, witnessing a sudden surge. The first case of local transmission was also reported in Diourbel. The epicenter of the pandemic lies in Dakar, with few sporadic cases in Thies and Ziguinchor. The first fatality due to COVID-19 was registered in Senegal on March 31, 2020.
Current scenario
As of June 10, total confirmed cases stand at 4,516 including 86 new cases and 52 total fatalities. Currently 39 out of 79 health districts are affected and 55.6K tests have been performed.
Comparison among neighboring countries
As compared to its neighboring countries which are infected with COVID-19, Senegal reports having a lower number of total cases as well as the rate having new cases are decreasing. However, the total fatality rate remains in second position next only to Mauritania.
Senegal’s policy response to Covid-19
As of March 15, 2020, there were 24 confirmed cases in Senegal. Foreseeing the impending threat, Senegal announced the immediate closure of schools for three weeks. As a precautionary measure, all public gatherings were banned for a month and cruise ships were barred from docking in Senegal. Going a step further Muslim and Christian pilgrimages were suspended with immediate effect to contain the movement of people. On 23 March, President of Senegal declared a state of emergency, imposing an evening curfew and banning all public gatherings.
Implementation of WHO guidelines
Since the emergence of COVID-19 on the land mass, African governments have had to decide whether, in addition to following WHO recommendations, they would adopt draconian measures such as total lockdown, travel restrictions and awareness campaigns as has been done elsewhere globally.
Senegal is strictly abiding by the WHO guidelines on Covid-19 by advising people to protect against the virus’s spread with simple actions like washing their hands and covering their mouth and nose when sneezing or coughing. Tests are being done widely and people are quarantined whenever required. However, in a country like Senegal with acute shortage of water and electricity, maintaining necessary hygiene poses a challenge.
Dawn to dusk curfew is imposed in high prevalence areas and travel restrictions are in place.
Reopening strategies
As nations around the globe are planning exit strategies to progressively lift the restrictions and lockdowns which have had a massive impact on economies, Senegal too aims to return back to normalcy gradually. On May 11, 2020; some restrictions were eased, the curfew was shortened, and markets were allowed to reopen. On June 4, 2020 the Government of Senegal lifted the ban on travel between regions allowing private vehicle movement between regions with mandatory listing of passengers being transported. The daily curfew times were adjusted to 11:00 pm to 5:00 am.
Containment measures and the travel restrictions resulted in a significant economic slowdown, exacerbated by declining exports and lower remittances. Senegal received an emergency financing of US$442 million from the IMF to provide much-needed liquidity to support the authorities’ response to the crisis.
Conclusion:
Senegal is still in a state of emergency with its air borders closed until June 30, 2020. It is still mandatory to wear a mask at all public places, especially in Dakar, the epicenter of the pandemic. With the incoming technical support from UNICEF, along with the PPE and other vital medical supplies arriving in large batches, Senegal has a draconian task ahead to manage the Covid-19 cases and also plan the revival of the already weak economy.
References:
Data, P., 2020. First Impacts Of Covid-19 On Senegalese Population – People And Data, Research And Marketing Services Senegal. [online] People and Data, Research and Marketing Services Senegal. Available at: http://www.peopledatasense.com/first-impacts-of-covid-19-on-senegalese-population [Accessed 12 June 2020].
IMF. 2020. Policy Responses To COVID19. [online] Available https://www.imf.org/en/Topics/imfand-covid19/Policy-Responses-to-COVID-19#S [Accessed 12 June 2020].
ReliefWeb. 2020. Senegal: COVID-19 Situation Report – #05 (8-29 May 2020) – Senegal. [online] Available at: https://reliefweb.int/report/senegal/senegal-covid-19-situation-report-05-8-29-may-2020 [Accessed 12 June 2020].
Joshi, A., Team, S., Team, S., Joshi, A. and Joshi, A., 2020. Home. [online] SMAART RapidTracker: A Global Policy Informatics Tool to Track COVID-19 Outbreak (Corona Virus Disease Outbreak). Available at: //www.smaartrapidtracker.org [Accessed 12 June 2020].
Nachega, J., Seydi, M. and Zumla, A., 2020. The Late Arrival Of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) In Africa: Mitigating Pan-Continental Spread. [ebook] Available at: https://academic.oup.com/cid/advance-article/doi/10.1093/cid/ciaa353/5813601 [Accessed 12 June 2020].
U.S. Embassy in Senegal. 2020. COVID-19 Information | U.S. Embassy In Senegal. [online] Available at: https://sn.usembassy.gov/covid-19-information/ [Accessed 12 June 2020].
Xinhuanet.com. 2020. Roundup: Senegal To Continue To Treat COVID-19 Patients With Anti-Malaria Drugs: Expert – Xinhua | English.News.Cn. [online] Available at: http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2020-06/07/c_139119593.htm [Accessed 12 June 2020].
