Senegal’s President Macky Sall on Saturday announced strict measures aimed at slowing the spread of coronavirus, including banning public gatherings, closing schools and cancelling April 4 Independence Day festivities.
“I have decided, first of all, to ban all public events for 30 days throughout the country,” Sall said on national television following an emergency meeting.
The president also announced a temporary ban on cruise ships docking in Senegal and the introduction of systematic health controls at all borders.
He also cancelled the official festivities to mark the 60th anniversary of independence from France and closed all schools and universities for three weeks beginning Monday.
The ban on gatherings will hit a series of Muslim festivals due in March. Calls have grown recently to ban such events which can attract hundreds of thousands of Muslim faithful.
Senegal is nation of some 16 million people where over 90 percent are Muslim.
With 21 known infections, Senegal has the second-highest number of coronavirus cases in sub-Saharan Africa.
Source: AFP
