Editorial by Arezki Daoud: It’s official, Covid-19 is now North Africa’s biggest problem, just as it is for the entire world. In recent times, we have heard of, but from afar, diseases such as the Ebola virus in West Africa, the plague epidemic in Madagascar, and cholera in Yemen. But now we are in the […]
Cairo, March 19, 2020 – Egypt on Thursday ordered the overnight closure of cafes, restaurants, nightclubs and sporting clubs to fight the spread of the novel coronavirus. The decision, issued by Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouli and carried in the official gazette, covers the hours between 7 pm and 6 am local time and the closure […]
Ouagadougou, March 18, 2020 (AFP) – Sub-Saharan Africa on Wednesday recorded its first COVID-19 death, a high-ranking politician in Burkina Faso, as the head of the World Health Organisation urged the continent to “prepare for the worst”. “Africa should wake up,” Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a news conference in Geneva, pointing out that “in other […]
Rabat, March 18, 2020 – Morocco on Wednesday urged residents to stay home in an effort to contain the novel coronavirus, as a minister warned the country was in “economic hibernation”. The North African country has reported 49 COVID-19 cases, including two deaths. In a statement, the health and interior ministries told residents to “limit […]
March 18, 2020 – Egyptian police arrested four prominent women dissidents Wednesday after they demanded the release of prisoners for fear of a coronavirus outbreaks in jails, their families said. The four activists and academics — sisters Mona, Laila and Ahdaf Soueif, and Rabab al-Mahdi — held a small demonstration in front of the cabinet […]
Ouagadougou, March 18, 2020 (By Armel Baily with David Esnault in Abidjan) – Sub-Saharan Africa’s weeks-long reprieve from the fatal impact of the coronavirus came to an end on Wednesday as Burkina Faso announced the death of a 62-year-old woman who had been suffering from diabetes. Africa has lagged behind the global curve for coronavirus […]
Cairo, March 18, 2020 – The World Health Organization urged Middle Eastern governments Wednesday to be more forthcoming with information about new coronavirus infections in order to effectively combat the global pandemic. “We can only control this disease if we have access to information that allows us to understand its dynamic in the region” Ahmed […]
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Cairo, March 17, 2020 – Egypt revoked the press credentials of a journalist for The Guardian and censured The New York Times Cairo bureau chief on Tuesday over “bad faith” reporting on the country’s coronavirus cases. “The correspondents’ rush to promote incorrect data does not justify them relying on an unpublished… and scientifically unrecognised study,” […]
Opposition figures in and outside of Algeria have been issuing statements calling for the halt in the anti-government rallies that have rocked Algeria since 22 February 2019. Most opposition personalities active on social media have joined the call to get the Algerian people avoid public gatherings, a called followed by prominent journalists and reporters who […]
The Moroccan authorities arrested Salafist Preacher Abou Naim for publicly opposing anti-coronavirus measures enacted by the government of Morocco, including the closure of mosques. The prosecution stated that he “inciting hatred and violence” as a charge against him. The police on Tuesday, under the supervision of the prosecution at the Rabat Court unit responsible for […]
A 75-year-old man, who tested positive to Covid-19, died on Tuesday, 17 March in Salé, Morocco, bringing the number of people who have died from the coronavirus in Morocco to two. The first person was an 89-year-old woman who died exactly a week earlier. Also, a new case has been confirmed on Tuesday in Casablanca […]
Tunisia’s law enforcement authorities have upped their campaign to limit the damage of the speculative practices that put public health at risk. Since the outbreak of the Covid-19 in Tunisia, authorities seized nearly 100,000 protective masks, almost 150,000 pairs of medical gloves and thousands of bottles of antiseptic gel intended for sale on the black […]
MEA Risk brief: The municipality of Tunis resuscitated the old means of communicating official statements with loudspeakers. On Tuesday, 17 March 2020, the city’s awareness campaign against used pickup trucks and vans equipped with speakers to ask residents to stay home and provide basic hygiene recommendations. The campaign is spearheaded by the very creative mayor […]
Cairo, March 17, 2020 – Egypt has placed over 300 families under quarantine in a Delta village to stem the spread of the new coronavirus after two deaths were recorded this month originating from the area. “We have confined more than 300 families to their homes where they will remain in quarantine,” Health Minister Hala […]
Cairo, March 17, 2020 – Egypt on Tuesday locked down the Red Sea resort of Hurghada where a German tourist died of new coronavirus earlier this month as it battles the spread of the disease. Hurghada is a magnet for tourists, including divers, who come year-round for its clear waters, coral reefs and unique marine […]
Several Muslim countries have decided to close their mosques and ban collective prayers to protect their populations from COVID-19. Tunisia issued the mandatory suspension of prayers on 15 March as it closed cafes and banned all cultural, sporting and economic gatherings. Likewise, Turkey announced on Monday the suspension until further notice of collective prayers in […]
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Cairo, March 16, 2020 – Egypt said on Monday all flights would be suspended until the end of the month to stem the spread of the coronavirus, in a move expected to hit the key tourism industry. “Flights will be suspended from Thursday until March 31,” Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly told a televised news conference. […]
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MEA Risk Brief: Several measures have been taken by the public authorities to prevent the spread of the coronavirus in Mauritania. After the suspension of flights in the middle of the week, the government decided to limit the number of access points to the territory, which are now down to eight crossing points spread across […]
Rabat, March 15, 2020 – Several special flights departed Morocco Sunday taking thousands of stranded Europeans home as the kingdom announced it was suspending all regular air traffic due to the coronavirus, authorities and airports said. The situation at Marrakesh airport, Morocco’s largest, began to calm on Sunday evening, after several days of tense scenes. […]
Tunis, March 16, 2020 (By Kaouther Larbi) – There is no known cure for the new coronavirus, but in the medicinal herbs souq in Tunis, anxious Tunisians are consulting with herbalists and stocking up on traditional remedies. “I am afraid for my father, who is old and sick, so I have come here to look […]
Fnideq, Morocco, March 14, 2020 – Tourists were stranded in Morocco on Saturday after the kingdom announced strict border restrictions in response to the coronavirus, leaving travellers stuck at borders, ports and airports. “We are lost!” said David, an Italian tourist waiting at the closed border with the Spanish enclave of Ceuta in northern Morocco. […]
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Nouakchott, March 14, 2020 – Mauritania has confirmed its first case of novel coronavirus, the country’s health minister said on Friday, adding to the growing number of cases in West Africa. In a televised statement, Health Minister Mohamed Nedhirou Ould Hamed said the case involved a foreigner who tested positive on Friday. “He was […]
Tripoli, March 13, 2020 – Libya’s rival governments on Friday both announced a two-week closure of schools and universities over fears of the novel coronavirus arriving in the country. The education ministries of the Tripoli-based unity government and its eastern-based rival announced in separate statements that all the country’s schools, both public and private, will […]
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MEA Risk Brief: In a drastic move aimed at halting the spread of the coronavirus, Morocco announced the suspension of air and sea travel to and from France. Morocco already has seven confirmed cases of COVID-19, and one patient has already died. The Kingdom has previously announced a similar decision with regards to Spain and […]
MEA Risk Brief: The average daily purchases of food products in Tunisia, including couscous, semolina, flour, pasta, etc., have skyrocketed these days, increasing tenfold in some parts, according to research from the Tunisia news agency TAP. Detergent and bleach volume sales nearly doubled, according to TAP’s observations of big stores in the capital Tunis. Interviewed […]
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Algiers, March 12, 2020 – Algeria has registered two deaths from the novel coronavirus, the health ministry announced Thursday, as schools were closed for three weeks. The first case was a man, aged 67, who had heart disease, the ministry’s director general, Djamel Fourar, told reporters. The second death announced in the evening by the […]
Listen to the audio podcast above By Arezki Daoud: It is not total panic mode yet, but there is a feeling that the situation is bubbling up a bit more every day and could get out of control. Most of the pressure that has been building can be attributed to the hype coming out of […]
