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.
The coronavirus crisis has sent U.S.-China relations spiraling, alarming analysts who say the two countries are at their most dangerous point in decades.
Why it matters: Instead of working together to fight the global pandemic, the world's two largest economies are engaging in risky escalation.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced at a White House briefing Friday that the U.S.-Mexico border will close to all non-essential travel for at least the next 30 days.
On the next episode of "Axios on HBO," national political reporter Jonathan Swan asks China’s Ambassador to the U.S. Cui Tiankai whether the Chinese Communist Party wanted to apologize for its initial "cover up" of the coronavirus. Catch the full interview on Sunday, March 22 at 6 p.m. ET/PT on all HBO platforms.
Haiti reported its first two cases of the novel coronavirus on Thursday, President Jovenel Moise announced in a press conference, per multiplereports.
Why it matters: There is only one doctor or nurse per 3,000 people in the country, the World Health Organization found in 2016 — and Haiti's spending in the public health sector "is among the lowest in the world." Haiti is the poorest country in the Western hemisphere, per the CIA World Factbook.
