UPDATED: President declares state of emergency for April, travel restrictions | Mozambique

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UPDATED: President declares state of emergency for April, travel restrictions | Mozambique

9:34 CAT | 30 Mar 2020

Photo: Miramar

Mozambique’s president, Filipe Nyusi, on Monday declared a state of emergency in the country for the month of April, imposing limitations on movements within the country and border entries, among other measures to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus.

The head of state listed in a communication to the nation the measures to be applied, including “limiting the internal movement of people in any part of the national territory”.

“I said limit”, he stressed, stressing later that the measures are at “stage 3” of restrictions, below the “stage 4” already in force in other countries, for example, the lockdown underway since Friday in South Africa.

The statement does not go into detail on how restrictions on people’s movement will be enforced. Nyusi said only that the government, through the cabinet, will announce further details.

The declaration of a state of emergency, which has yet to be approved by parliament, includes a ban on all types of public or private events “except for unavoidable state issues” and the closure of non-essential shops or, where applicable, their reduction in activity.

According to Nyusi, at the borders, only cases of ” State interest, the transport of goods by duly accredited operators and health-related situations” are exempted.

The declaration also foresees “submitting to mandatory quarantine all persons who have recently travelled outside the country or have had contact with confirmed cases” of infection.

Among the measures announced by the MPresident are also: monitoring prices of essential goods and of goods for preventing a pandemic, redirecting the industrial sector towards the production of consumables necessary for the prevention of a pandemic, introducing job rotation (or other forms of organisation) and ensuring the adoption of preventative actions in all institutions, public or private.

Filipe Nyusi classified today’s statement in line with “the principles of reasonableness, sustainability and proportionality” in view of the situation in Mozambique, with an official total of eight confirmed cases of infection with the new coronavirus, no deaths and no new confirmed cases in the last 48 hours.

The evolution of the situation and possible further action depends on compliance with the restrictions, he added.

The state of emergency measures were taken based on a report by the scientific commission created in Mozambique to monitor the pandemic.

The commission pointed to public passenger transport and markets as factors in increasing the risk of community spread in the country.

Filipe Nyusi acknowledged that the measures may have difficult consequences.

“They can negatively impact our lives, however, they are necessary to protect the lives of each and every one of us, our children, family members and the whole of society,” he concluded.

The new coronavirus responsible for the Covid-19 pandemic has already infected more than 727,000 people worldwide, of whom nearly 35,000 have died. Of the cases of infection, at least 142,300 are considered to have been cured.

Since the outbreak began in China in December, it has spread worldwide, leading the World Health Organization to declare a pandemic situation.

According to the Centre for Disease Prevention and Control of the African Union (CDC Africa), at least 152 people have died and 4,871 people have become infected in the continent.

Source: Lusa