African countries are moving to prevent further coronavirus infections in their territories, with South Africa leading the way in strict measures that should help curb the spike in new CoVID-19 cases across the continent.
South Africa Begins Three-Week Lockdown
Security forces in South Africa have started implementing the three-week lockdown that should help prevent further spreading of the CoVID-19 strain in the country.
According to BBC, before midnight on Thursday evening, there were still long queues outside supermarkets as people scrambled to fill up their stocks of food and other necessities.
President Cyril Ramaphosa previously urged South Africans to abide by regulations that the government has laid out. He also visited soldiers ahead of the lockdown and encouraged them to "defend" the citizens from the novel virus.
South Africa recorded a total of 927 confirmed CoVID-19 cases as of Thursday.
Nigerian Cases Pass 60
In Nigeria, confirmed coronavirus cases have reached 65, with 14 of the new cases coming in late in confirmation, The Guardian Nigeria reported.
The Nigeria Center for Disease Control (NCDC) said 12 of the new cases were detected in Lagos and two of the patients were confirmed in Abuja. The country still has no deaths linked to the fast-spreading disease.
Kenya Reports First CoVID-19 Death
Kenya's Health Minister Mutahi Kagwe confirmed on Thursday the country's first death linked to the novel virus.
According to the Anadolu Agency, the 66-year-old patient was at the intensive care unit of the Aghakhan Hospital when he passed away Thursday afternoon. The patient was said to suffer from diabetes.
As part of the country's anti-coronavirus action plan, the government implemented 100 percent tax relief to spur disposable income, especially as many citizens are working from home while others have been temporarily laid off.
Kenya has a total of 31 confirmed CoVID-19 cases.
Ghana's New Cases Jump with 54 in One Day
Ghana has not seen a significant hike in coronavirus cases in the past weeks but on Thursday, the country recorded 54 new CoVID-19 cases, bringing the country's total of 132.
The Ghana Health Service noted in a statement that the jump in new cases was driven by testing carried out on people who returned to the country as other hard-hit countries send home foreign nationals.
Ghana also recorded three deaths from the highly-infectious disease.
Ethiopia Frees 4,000 Prisoners amid CoVID-19 Crisis
In an order this week, Ethiopian President Sahle-Work Zewde granted pardon to over 4,000 prisoners as part of the government's efforts to prevent coronavirus infections in jails across the country, CNN reported.
As of Wednesday, Ethiopia recorded a total of 12 confirmed CoVID-19 cases. However, authorities are working to hopefully retain the small number of infections in the country.
All borders have been closed across the country and security officials have also been set in place to ensure that no large gatherings will be held in public spaces. Social distancing has also been encouraged and only businesspeople bringing in essential goods are allowed to enter.
Morocco Records 225 Cases
While Ghana has a small number of confirmed CoVID-19 cases, Morocco has become the fourth hardest-hit country in the African continent with 225 total cases.
The Casablanca-Settat region is considered the hardest-hit region in Morocco, with at least 87 infected patients, followed by Fez-Meknes with at least 51.
Local health authorities revealed that around 72 percent of Morocco's coronavirus patients are over 40 years old. So far, over 900 people tested for potential CoVID-19 infection have tested negative, raising hopes for a potential decline in new cases in the coming days.
Uganda's Confirmed Cases Include a Baby
Uganda confirmed a total of 14 coronavirus cases in the country on Thursday, with one of the five new cases being an eight-month-old baby.
According to the country's director-general of Health Service Dr. Henry Mwebesa, two of the new cases are Chinese nationals. Another case had travel history in Germany while the other traveled to Kenya last week.
Uganda is recognized as one of the new African countries to have implemented movement restrictions on its citizens as soon as the coronavirus outbreak kicked off in the west.
