Second Wave Brings Return to Lockdowns

ADF STAFF

A second wave of COVID-19 infections is sweeping Africa, bringing back lockdowns and strict countermeasures in Botswana, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Zimbabwe and others.

As during the first wave in March 2020, much debate centers on the effectiveness of lockdowns versus their economic impact.

“We are in a race to save lives right now,” Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, World Health Organization director general, said in a speech on January 5. “It’s important in any crisis to act fast and have no regrets.”

Most African nations did just that with border closures and travel restrictions when the pandemic first struck. Twelve countries implemented a lockdown, while 10 instituted partial lockdowns of cities or high-risk communities.

But as cases fell, governments scaled back, people let their guards down and ignored protocols. Infections spiked again.

“Caseloads are so high in several countries that hospitals and intensive care units are filling up to dangerous levels,” Tedros said. “For some countries, during the recent holiday period and cold weather, people mixed indoors more, which we know is riskier and will have consequences.

“New variants, which appear to be more transmissible, are exacerbating the situation.”

In mid-December, officials identified the new, more infectious strain that is driving the latest wave of cases. Neighboring Botswana detected the variant on January 4.

After South Africa eclipsed 1 million cases on December 27 and positivity rates soared from 5% to 30%, President Cyril Ramaphosa restored bans on alcohol and public gatherings, made masking mandatory in public, and extended curfew.

“I beg you all” to follow the measures, Ramaphosa said with tears in his eyes in a televised address on December 28. “We have let our guard down, and now we are paying the price.”

With cases rising, Botswana President Mokgweetsi Masisi imposed a curfew from 8 p.m. to 4 a.m., extended travel restrictions, and banned the sale and public consumption of alcohol.

Countries such as Côte d’Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ghana, Mauritania and Nigeria have seen cases rise sharply and are reporting record or near-record levels of infection.

On December 22, Nigeria imposed a five-week closure of all bars, nightclubs, recreational and event venues. Police in Lagos State have raided and arrested violators as the governor warns of another lockdown if preventive measures are not followed. The governor of Adamawa State banned all social gatherings indefinitely.

After Senegalese President Macky Sall declared a state of emergency on January 6, protesters clashed with police enforcing the first night of a curfew established in the capital, Dakar.

Zimbabwe, which is overwhelmed with a surge of infections, faces a shortage of hospital beds and equipment. Vice President Constantino Chiwenga on January 2 announced a dusk-to-dawn curfew and a 30-day lockdown of all but essential services.

“This is the final push; let’s defeat this virus for good,” President Emmerson Mnangagwa said on Twitter.