Senegal declares state of emergency and curfew to fight Covid-19 peak

Senegal has announced a nighttime curfew in two regions, including the capital Dakar, in an effort to stop the spread of the coronavirus.

Speaking in a televised address Tuesday, President Macky Sall said a curfew will be imposed from 9 p.m. this Wednesday evening in the capital Dakar and neighboring Thiès.

In her delivery, Sall said: “It is a serious hour. On the recommendation of the medical profession, I have decided to declare a state of emergency in two regions, as a first step.”

The new measures come six months after the lifting of the first state of emergency in a bid to strengthen Senegal’s economy which was hit hard by restrictions on movement during the first wave of the pandemic.

Senegal has recorded 19,803 cases of coronavirus since March, of which 424 have been fatal, according to the latest figures released on Tuesday.

New cases rose to a record 240 on December 26, and as of December 29, seven deaths have been reported – the second highest number to date in the country.

Health Minister Abdoulaye Diouf Sarr said the two densely populated regions “account for nearly 90% of coronavirus cases” in the country.

The government has warned of public fatigue with anti-Covid measures, and the new restrictions include a requirement to wear a mask in public buildings and transport, and a ban on gatherings in public spaces, including including the beaches.

Most of sub-Saharan Africa, including Senegal, has been spared the large-scale epidemics seen in Europe and the United States. Scientists say this is in part due to younger populations and how quickly governments acted to contain the virus when it arrived last year.

But a recent outbreak in many West African countries has raised fears the spread could accelerate as containment measures ease and cooler weather descends in a region where testing levels are among the lowest in the world.

The curfew in Senegal will run from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m.
It is still unclear whether travel between regions will be banned, as was the case during last year’s state of emergency in the country.