Burundi records highest coronavirus cases after holiday season

Africa News of Thursday, January 7, 2021

Source: theeastafrican.co.ke

01/07/2021

Burundi has announced 40 new cases of Covid-19, the highest number of cases recorded in the country in two days since the announcement of the first positive case in March of last year.

The health ministry said that on January 4, around ten people tested positive for the virus when they went to be tested in preparation for their trip. The government then began tracing their contacts and as a result some 284 people were tested.

“[Among] of the 284 people who have been tested, 30 of them have tested positive for the virus, which means that 40 people have tested positive in the past two days, ”said Burundian Minister of Health, Thadde Ndikumana.

According to the Burundian government, the total number of Covid-19 cases as of January 5 stood at 884 with 109 active cases, 2 deaths and 773 recorded recoveries.

Last week, Burundi President Evariste Ndayishimiye vowed to severely punish officials and individuals who violate Covid-19 measures.

“We have heard some senior officials use their offices to sneak up on their loved ones without going through a mandatory test. Anyone who is arrested will be considered a criminal and will have to face the law, ”he said.

Last year, Burundi was among the countries that have come under heavy criticism for their lack of action in the fight against the pandemic. The newly elected president then launched a mass testing campaign that saw 87,404 people tested.

The government of President Ndayishimiye has taken a different path from that of its predecessor, former President Pierre Nkurunziza, to deal with the pandemic by imposing measures to fight Covid-19.

Due to the pandemic, Burundi’s economic growth projection for 2020 has been revised downward by 5.3 percentage points to -3.2% in 2020. The pandemic has exacerbated pre-existing economic challenges and created significant external financing needs in 2020 and 2021, mainly as a result of lower exports, increased import needs and reduced remittances.

Although the Burundian IRS (OBR) recorded an increase in its income during the pandemic, Burundi has experienced economic difficulties in the past five years after donors suspended direct aid to the government which contributed nearly 45% of the country’s annual budget.

However, there has been a turnaround since the new administration took office late last year, with the European Union funding the country’s health sector to fight the pandemic.