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In popular tourist destinations, the coronavirus is spreading at an alarming rate. Authorities have ordered partial closures, limits on the size of meetings and an extended curfew.
A girl waits to be tested during mass tests for the COVID-19 coronavirus provided free of charge by the Kenyan government in the Kibera slum of Nairobi, Kenya, on October 18, 2020. Image: AFP.
JOHANNESBURG – After being relatively safe from the coronavirus, Africa is bracing for the second wave of the pandemic, watching as the microbe has made its way back into wealthy countries in Europe and North Africa.
The worst affected nations on the continent once again have to contemplate strict public health measures as they await the arrival of the vaccine cavalry.
In South Africa, the beginning of summer has caused traffic jams on the roads leading to coastal resorts.
But this year, there won’t be long, lazy days at the beach.
In popular tourist destinations, the coronavirus is spreading at an alarming rate. Authorities have ordered partial closures, limits on the size of meetings and an extended curfew.
As the African country hardest hit by the pandemic, with nearly 900,000 documented cases, South Africa is tightening health restrictions.
But around Africa, a continent of over 1.2 billion people, there are stark contrasts in the prevalence of the disease.
New cases are emerging in East Africa, North and South Africa, but the trend in West Africa is a decline, according to the African Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), an arm of the African Union.
GROWING CASES IN THE EAST
In Uganda, all regions have been affected by the pandemic. Neighboring Rwanda, a much smaller but densely populated country, recorded almost as many new cases in December (722) as since the beginning of the infection (797).
Bars and clubs have been closed since March. Heavily fined for violating regulations, a Kigali bar owner told AFP that he had lost everything. “Customers were drinking, but the police forced us to close.”
In Kenya, a second wave of the virus struck in September, causing school closings and the extension of the curfew. Some health professionals say they are already expecting a third wave.
For several weeks, the Africa CDC and the World Health Organization (WHO) have been pushing African governments to improve their game for an inevitable second wave.
However, the epidemic first reported in Africa nine months ago has not been as destructive as experts feared, on a poor continent lacking health care structures.
Africa has reported 2.4 million cases, just 3.6% of the world total, according to a tally compiled by AFP.
The entire continent has recorded more than 57,000 deaths, fewer, for example, than the total for France alone (59,072).
While the low level of detection could cast doubt on the reliability of the statistics, no African country has observed a spike in excess mortality, which would be a sign that the virus is spreading below the radar.
Experts are still trying to understand why Africa, so far, has not been affected to the same extent as other continents.
Explanations include Africa’s young population, cross immunity stemming from previous epidemics, and a still predominantly rural economy, which means lower population density.
ECONOMIC SUCCESS
Early and draconian measures imposed on citizens in most African countries clearly slowed the spread of the disease.
But the social and economic consequences of the blockade policies have been disastrous for the weaker economies.
In countries where the stigma of COVID-19 has become less visible, daily life has rushed back on track, largely at the expense of social distancing and other barrier gestures.
In central Africa, Cameroon is preparing to host the 2020 African Nations Championship soccer tournament in January, postponed from last April due to the virus. Officials expect a partial reopening of stadiums.
Senegalese authorities face calls for public protests against the restrictions, while in Equatorial Guinea, nightclubs are the only venues that remain closed.
“Overall, the virus continues to advance in Africa,” warned Isabelle Defourny, director of operations for Doctors Without Borders (MSF).
MSF has noticed a resurgence of COVID-19 in both capitals and rural areas, especially in Chad.
“We are also seeing an increase in severe cases where oxygen is needed, particularly in Bamako (Mali), which was not the case during the first wave,” Defourny said.
The battle that Africa must fight for access to vaccines is far from being won. The likely cost will be around 4.7 billion euros ($ 5.76 billion), but only a quarter of the continent’s nations can muster the necessary resources, according to the WHO.
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