Mozambique: Court orders release of 12 opposition supporters - AIM report
Mozambique: Government imposes curfew in Greater Maputo – AIM report
5:36 CAT | 05 Feb 2021
File photo: Folha de Maputo
The Mozambican government, as part of its package of measures to combat the Covid-19 pandemic, has imposed a curfew on the Greater Maputo Metropolitan Area.
Announcing the curfew during an address to the nation on Thursday night, President Filipe Nyusi said it will cover Maputo city, the adjoining city of Matola, the municipality of Boane and the town of Marracuene. The curfew will run from 21.00 to 04.00. The measure takes effect on Friday night, and will last for at least 30 days.
Greater Maputo is clearly the epicenter of the Mozambican Covid-19 epidemic. In the daily reports from the Health Ministry, Maputo city and province regularly account for over half of the new cases diagnosed every day. Of the 427 deaths from Covid-19, 338 (79.2 per cent) occurred in the capital. Currently, 335 people are under medical care in the Covid-19 isolation wards – and 249 of these patients (74.3 per cent) are in Maputo.
In Greater Maputo, from March to December 2020, 12,850 positive cases were diagnosed. But in just the 31 days of January, 11,685 cases were diagnosed.
The government regards these figures as justifying exceptional measures towards Maputo. No curfew is envisaged for anywhere else in the country. This is the first time since independence in 1975 that the central government has imposed a curfew.
“We want people to stay in their homes”, said Nyusi. “For a period of 30 days, we don’t want people on the streets at night”.
He added that the curfew does not apply to essential workers, whose jobs require them to be on the streets at night. People would also be allowed to break curfew in the event of medical emergencies which oblige them to go to hospital at night.
Nyusi stressed that the curfew is not a lockdown, nor should it be regarded as an aggressive, hostile measure taken by the government against its own citizens.
Nyusi also announced the closure of all places of worship for 30 days. As for schools, he said that the resumption of face-to face classes is postponed for a further month – but that pupils already sitting exams will be allowed to complete them. The exams, for seventh, 10th and 12 grade pupils, are due to end next week.
The government has also suspended the national football championship, “Mocambola”, largely because sports clubs have not been complying with the rules for preventing Covid-19. “The Covid-19 tests they promised are not being carried out”, said Nyusi. Some clubs, however, had set a good example – and one which proved a high level of infection among their players.
More than half the team of Ferroviario de Lichinga, from the northern province of Niassa, had tested positive and so were unable to fly to their next match. “This means the problem exists, and we are pretending we don’t know about it”, said Nyusi.
Private social events, such as weddings, will be limited to a maximum of 20 guests, and no more than 50 people may attend any State event, except in cases of emergencies.
Most of the measures announced previously remain in force. All bars, stalls selling alcoholic drinks, gymnasiums, casinos and discotheques are closed.
Nyusi noted attempts to challenge these rules. The authorities had recently closed down five discotheques, 12 gaming rooms and casinos, eight clandestine gymnasiums, 400 bars and 2,805 stalls and kiosks. He noted that many of the stalls selling alcohol would have been illegal even without the Covid-19 restrictions.
The President urged citizens to respect the rules, because “if you’re dead, you can’t visit your relatives, go to the beach, eat at restaurants, or go to museums, theaters or football matches”.
He warned that preventive measures, such as regular hand washing, wearing masks in public places, and social distancing of at least 1.5 metres between individuals, are not discretionary but obligatory”.
“These are measures that everyone must comply with”, he said. “We shall not tolerate situations that endanger the life of a single Mozambican”.
Source: AIM
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