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Mozambique: Nyusi urges involvement in preventing spread of Covid-19 – AIM report
1:52 CAT | 09 Mar 2020
File photo: MMO
Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi on Thursday called on all forces in Mozambican society to become involved in preventing the spread of COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the new coronavirus first detected in the Chinese city of Wuhan.
The virus has infected over 95,000 people, the vast majority of whom are in China. Most of those infected recover, but there have so far been over 3,200 deaths.
Speaking at a graduation ceremony at the Police Science Academy (ACIPOL), on the outskirts of Maputo, Nyusi said that, although no cases of COVID-19 have been detected in Mozambique so far, all citizens should be vigilant and on the lookout for symptoms of the virus, such as fever, coughing and shortness of breath. He urged them to go to the nearest health unit for testing, if the symptoms persist.
Nyusi warned that, only with the collaboration of all, will it be possible to control the outbreak if the new coronavirus does appear in Mozambique.
“The coronavirus is a matter of security”, he declared. “So I appeal for you to redouble efforts of prevention and vigilance”.
If an outbreak does occur, Nyusi added, citizens should observe basic personal hygiene measures, which can make all the difference n fighting the disease. “Be vigilant towards yourselves and towards your neighbours”, he urged, “so as to identify the signs of illness, and if affirmative, go to a health unit, or call the emergency numbers”.
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Nyusi recommended that citizens avoid crowds, to minimise easy spread of the virus, and should not travel to countries where COVID-19 has occurred on a large scale until the situation is under control.
Health Minister Armindo Tiago announced at a Thursday press conference that the government is implementing a multi-sector plan to deal with a possible COVID-19 epidemic. “The government is, in a coordinated manner, implementing preparations to respond to an eventual epidemic”, he said.
Tiago confirmed that the South African authorities have announced the first case of COVID-19 in that neighbouring country. The man concerned had returned on 1 March from Italy, the European country worst hit by the disease.
He had gone to a doctor on Tuesday, in the province of Kwazulu-Natal, complaining of fever, headache, a sore throat and a cough. He has gone into voluntary isolation, as has the doctor who attended to him.
Tiago announced the creation of a technical committee which will analyse trends in the global spread of COVID-19 and, on a daily basis, it will update the list of countries whose citizens are subject to quarantine.
Mozambique will strengthen epidemiological surveillance, not only at the airports, but at the land borders, particularly Ponta de Ouro (on the border with Kwazulu-Natal), and Goba and Namaacha (on the border with Eswatini).
“We have teams who will investigate and identify all suspects entering the country”, said Tiago. The basic check is to take the temperature of anyone arriving. If it is suspiciously high, further tests will be undertaken.
On each border there is a team of at least four health professionals, he said. The number will vary depending on the movement of travellers across the borders.
Tiago assured the reporters that Mozambique does have the capacity to diagnose the disease. As for treatment, the Health Ministry has the material to deal with the first 100 cases “and we are increasing our stocks”, he said.
COVID-19 has hit air travel, as passengers across the world cancel reservations, and Mozambique is no exception. Cited by the independent television station STV, the chairperson of the Mozambique Airports Company (ADM), Emanuel Chaves, estimated that the airlines using Maputo International Airport have suffered a decline of 60 to70 per cent in recent weeks in the number of passengers carried.
“Many people are cancelling their trips”, Chaves said. “People aren’t travelling because of the uncertainty resulting from the information circulating in the media”.
ADM, he said, is studying ways of providing incentives to airlines, to reduce their operational costs, so that they keep flying to Maputo.
Source: AIM
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