Millions enter lockdown in Nigeria, Uganda and Zimbabwe, as Africa steps up COVID-19 fight

AFP | More than 20 million Nigerians on Monday went into lockdown in sub-Saharan Africa’s biggest city Lagos and the capital Abuja, as the continent struggles to curb the spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19).

President Muhammadu Buhari ordered a 2-week “cessation of all movements” in key cities to ward off an explosion of cases in Africa’s most populous country.

Businesses are being closed, non-food shops shut and people required to stay at home as officials look to track down possible carriers of the disease after reporting 131 confirmed cases and 2 deaths so far.

Enforcing the restrictions in sprawling Lagos will be a mammoth challenge as millions live crammed and rely on daily earnings to survive.

In the outdoor markets of Lagos Island, anxious locals complained they did not have the money to stock up, while at higher-end supermarkets better-off residents queued to buy supplies.

City officials have pledged to provide basic provisions to 200,000 households but the federal government in Africa’s largest oil producing nation is already facing financial strain as the price of crude has collapsed.

The streets of Ghana’s capital Accra were also empty as most people in 2 regions appeared to be following a presidential order to stay indoors after it went into force.

Several African nations lockdown

Dozens of African nations have imposed restrictions ranging from night-time curfews to total shutdowns.

Zimbabwe, which is already suffering a recession, began enforcing a 3-week lockdown after the disease left 1 person dead and infected 6 others.

Police mounted checkpoints on routes leading to Harare’s central business district, stopping cars and turning away pedestrians who had no authorization to be in the area.

“We don’t want to see people here on the streets. We don’t want to see people who have no business in town just loitering,” a policewoman said through a loud hailer. “Everyone to their homes.”

Angola and Ivory Coast on Sunday became the latest countries to record their first deaths, bringing the number of African fatalities to around 150 of nearly 4,800 recorded cases.

In Democratic Republic of Congo, 2 new cases were reported in the volatile South Kivu region and an adviser to the nation’s president announced he had tested positive.

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni ordered a 14-day lockdown in a bid to halt the spread of the disease after reporting 33 infections.

Police in South Sudan, one of a few nations in Africa yet to confirm a case, enforced strict new rules, shutting shops selling non-essential items and limiting passengers in public transport.

Mauritius, which has 128 cases – the highest in East Africa – has extended its lockdown to April 15.