Burundi and Sierra Leone report first coronavirus cases

Burundi and Sierra Leone have recorded their first positive test results for the coronavirus, leaving just four counties in Africa unaffected by the virus.

Burundi’s Health Minister Thadée Ndikumana announced on Tuesday that two nationals had tested positive for coronavirus after travelling from Rwanda and Dubai.

There had been doubts over Burundi’s claim that no-one in the country had coronavirus, particularly as neighbouring Rwanda and the DRC have been quite strongly affected. A spokesperson for President Pierre Nkurunziza said the nation was an exception because it put “God first”. 

In Sierra Leone, a 37-year-old man was found to have Covid-19, the respiratory disease caused by the coronavirus, after travelling back from France. He was about to complete his mandatory quarantine period. 

The government has said it would not announce a total lockdown yet but has declared a year-long state of public health emergency. Commercial flights have been suspended and schools ordered to close. 

Photo: AFP