Mozambique: Third wave of pandemic not nearing its end, warns Nyusi

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Mozambique: Third wave of pandemic not nearing its end, warns Nyusi

7:42 CAT | 16 Aug 2021

Photo: Sala da Paz

Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi on Friday warned that, despite apparent stabilization in parts of the country, the third wave of the Covid-19 pandemic is still “far from its end”.

In an address to the nation, Nyusi stressed that the third wave, which began to hit Mozambique in late June, is much more serious than the previous two waves, and was putting the national health service under strain in several provinces.

July had been the worst month in the pandemic so far in Mozambique, with the highest number of Covid-19 cases, hospitalisations and deaths. August might not be much better – so far this month, Nyusi said, there have been 246 deaths, and 649 hospitaliatons.

The President warned that “every time people violate the Covid-19 prevention measures, they are worsening these figures”.

Nonetheless, there has been a “timid tendency” for some of the Covid-19 indicators to fall, Nyusi said. There had a particular improvement in Tete province. This was one of the provinces worst hit in July, but the latest figures indicate that Tete has passed the peak of the third wave.

However, the situation was deteriorating in Zambezia, and Nampula, and even in Cabo Delgado, in the far north, which up until now had been the province least affected by the third wave.

Nyusi struck a more optimistic note when he turned to the mass vaccination campaign, saying that to date at least 1.3 million people have received at least one dose of the vaccine against Covid-19.

But he insisted this was no reason for relaxing the preventive measures. Citizens should continue to wash their hands regularly, to wear masks in public, and to practice social distancing.

Nyusi said that all existing measures against Covid-19 will remain in place for the next 30 days. These include the curfew from 21.00 to 04.00 in all cities and sizeable towns, the ban on religious services and most forms of meetings, parties and public gatherings, and restricted opening hours for shops, restaurants and bottle stores.

The only changes Nyusi announced were the inclusion of the towns of Maxixe, Massinga and Vilankulo (in Inhambane province) in the group of cities and towns covered by the suspension of in-person classes announced in July, and the possibility of holding in-person school examinations if health conditions allow.

Nyusi said the situation will be reviewed in 15 days and the measures in force may then be adjusted.

Source: AM