Angola and Eritrea have confirmed their first cases of coronavirus, while Mauritius recorded its first death as the virus spreads across Africa despite governments' measures to hold it back.
A visitor tries to sanitise hands before being allowed into a state hospital at Yaba in Lagos. Photo: AFP
Angola's first cases were two male Angolan residents who flew back from Portugal on March 17-18, Health Minister Silvia Lutucuta told a briefing.
And Eritrea confirmed its first case, a 39-year-old arriving from Norway.
There are now more than 1000 cases reported across Africa, according to the World Health Organisation.
There are concerns that the continent will not be able to handle a surge in cases without the depth of medical facilities available in more developed economies.
Zimbabwe reported its first case on Friday, and a second on Saturday, while the island of Mauritius, with 14 cases, reported its first death, a person who had travelled from Belgium via Dubai.
Many African countries have already shut their borders, closed schools and universities and barred large public gatherings.
Activist Yusuf Abramjee (C) distributes soap bars amid concerns over the spread of Covid-19 coronavirus during a volunteer drive in the densely populated Diepsloot township in Johannesburg, South Africa. Photo: AFP
In South Africa, which has the most cases in sub-Saharan Africa, more citizens have taken to wearing masks and gloves in public as the number of confirmed cases rose by 38 to 240 on Saturday.
Africa's most populous country, Nigeria, plans to close its two main international airports in the cities of Lagos and Abuja from Monday night. The number of reported coronavirus cases there rose to 22 on Saturday.
Rwanda, which has 17 confirmed cases, stepped up preventive measures on Saturday, banning travel between towns and other parts of the country for two weeks, closing all bars, and requiring all government and private employees to work from home.
Both Rwanda and Uganda on Saturday announced they would close their borders.
- Reuters