Mar 21, 2020 - Health

More countries in Africa take action against coronavirus

Orion Rummler

In this image, three men wearing masks face another man wearing a mask outside — A man receives a surgical mask and gloves in Cairo, Egypt, on March 21. Photo: Ziad Ahmed/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Rwanda, Uganda, Burkina Faso and other African countries are making new efforts to pause international travel and institute stay-at-home orders to combat the spread of the novel coronavirus, AP reports.

Where it stands: South Africa and Egypt are currently two of the worst hot spots for COVID-19 in Africa. 10 people have died from the coronavirus in Egypt as of Saturday. Notably, South Africa has not reported any deaths or recoveries from the virus.

Flashback: Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the World Health Organization’s first African director-general, called on the continent Thursday to “wake up” to the threat of the virus.

More countries are taking action: Travelers arriving to Ethiopia will undergo a mandatory quarantine starting Monday, per AP, and the Democratic Republic of Congo has closed its borders.

Go deeper: Africa scrambles to contain coronavirus

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More countries in Africa take action against coronavirus

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