WHO head tells Africa to 'wake up' to coronavirus threat

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A health worker taking temperatures at the main airport in Ethiopia - March 2020Portray copyright AFP
Portray caption Most airports are screening travellers and perambulate restrictions are being introduced in across Africa

Africa must “wake up” to the coronavirus threat and prepare for the worst, the head of the World Health Group (WHO) has acknowledged.

The continent ought to aloof be taught from how the spread of virus has sped up in numerous areas, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus acknowledged.

He warned that whereas Africa’s confirmed circumstances were currently low – around 640 – there changed into no explanation for complacency.

“Africa ought to aloof wake up, my continent ought to aloof wake up,” acknowledged the Ethiopian, the WHO’s first African head.

Health experts warn that strained public health programs in Africa might perchance well become speedily overwhelmed if the virus takes help.

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Media captionThe BBC’s Andrew Harding appears to be like at the impact Coronavirus might perchance well rating in Africa

“WHO’s advice is genuinely mass gatherings ought to be kept some distance from and we ought to aloof function all we are in a position to to lop abet it from the bud, looking ahead to that the worst might perchance well happen,” Mr Tedros told a news conference in Geneva, where the WHO is essentially based exclusively.

In Africa, 16 folks rating died from Covid-19, the respiratory illness introduced on by coronavirus: six in Egypt, six in Algeria, two in Morocco, one in Sudan and one in Burkina Faso.

Portray copyright AFP
Portray caption Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the principle African head of the WHO, is leading the fight in opposition to coronavirus

In South Africa, which has 116 circumstances, President Cyril Ramaphosa has declared a philosophize of catastrophe, limiting perambulate, closing colleges, banning mass gatherings and ordering bars to shut or restrict numbers to 50.

Assorted countries on the continent rating also been imposing identical restrictions this week.

From Saturday, Nigeria says this can conclude arrivals from any country where there are extra than 1,000 circumstances of coronavirus.

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