Nouakchott, March 6, 2020 – A group of Italian tourists that travelled in Mauritania without undergoing a recently-imposed period in coronavirus confinement did not deliberately break any rules, Italy’s embassy said Friday. The 15 tourists from Europe’s virus hotspot arrived in the capital Nouakchott on Saturday planning to travel to the northern tourist hub of Atar.
A Mauritanian health ministry spokesman told AFP on Wednesday that the group then “made the mistake of attempting to evade” a confinement period the country has imposed on travellers from high-risk countries by setting off for Atar on Sunday.
But a diplomat from the Italian embassy in Morocco’s capital Rabat, which is responsible for Mauritania, said the group left for the trip unaware of any confinement period. They only discovered of the new rule’s existence at roadside checks, the diplomat said. The group was brought back to Nouakchott, where they were given two options: spend 14 days in confinement or return to Italy. “All the tourists chose the second option,” the diplomat told AFP. The Mauritanian health ministry spokesman said on Facebook Friday that the tourists “preferred to return to Italy”. “All measures have been take to ensure they return in the best conditions,” he added.
Nearly 200 people have died from the novel coronavirus in Italy, the second highest death toll in the world after China, where the outbreak began in December.
