Senegal cancels independence celebrations

Senegal has cancelled national celebrations, making the 60th anniversary of the country’s independence from France, because of the coronavirus.

Senegal has become one of the countries leading the fight against coronavirus in Africa. It has already declared a state of emergency and closed all its land, air and sea borders to everything but essential goods. 

The West African nation has 140 active cases of Covid-19 and has suffered one death. Procedures are in place to track potential infections and public gatherings have been banned in an effort to prevent the further spread of the virus. 

Senegal is also working with a British company to develop a quick, simple $1 test for the virus. As the test can be performed without the use of electricity, it would be of particular use for Africa’s rural communities, which often do not have access to power.

More experimentally, Senegal has been pioneering the use of the anti-malaria drug chloroquine as a potential treatment for the virus. 

The World Health Organisation (WHO) says the effectiveness of the drug has not yet been proved  but Senegal’s culture minister told news organisations he had seen “rapid improvement” in patients treated with the medicine.

“The WHO is not going to tell us what to do” insisted Abdou Latif Coulibaly. 

Photo: Getty Images