Table 2.
Ongoing activities across Africa to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 including dates and examples.
| Country | Closing Borders/ Travel restrictions | Quarantine Measures/ Testing measures | Lockdown Measures | Sanitary/ PPE measures | Directives on Management and misinformation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Algeria | 17 March – closure of all land borders | 13 March – Partial (capital) – full others with easing after that | |||
| Botswana | Ongoing restrictions on air travel and strict border controls (20 to 28 March) | 14-day quarantine introduced and scientists trained on specimen collection (23 March) | Yes – including closure of educational institutions (18 March) and general lockdown measures (2 April) | Mandatory use of face masks in public (May 1) | Yes – Directive to reduce misinformation with the potential for fines/ prison for abuse |
| Cameroon | 18 March - closure of borders | 3 March as well as active surveillance | 18 March - including school closures and ban on gatherings | Yes- including encouraging hand washing and compulsory face masks in public (18 March onwards) | i) Establishing treatment centresii) Encouraging household production of face masks |
| Democratic Republic of Congo | 24 March – closure of all borders and travel (International and domestic) remain suspended (6 June) | 3 March – Quarantine measures | 31 March – Curfew measures introduced with lockdown measures extended to 15 May (2 May) | Yes - Continued campaigns on prevention | Instigation Community Action Committees |
| Egypt | 25 March – suspension of incoming passenger flights | Yes – early testing of suspected cases | 25 March – Night time curfew and other lockdown measures | Yes – Increasing public awareness of preventative approaches | MoH developed standard treatment protocols |
| Eswatini(formerly Swaziland) | 27 March – Closure of borders | 27 March – Mandatory quarantining at borders and contract tracing introduced | 27 March – i) Partial lockdown and social distancing introducedii) In addition, reduced numbers in omnibuses | Yes – distribution PPE to all health facilities | Yes – designating specific COVID-19 hospitals and fines or prison for spreading misinformation (27 March) |
| Ethiopia | Closing borders (22 March) and banning flights to more than 30 countries (20 March) | 1 April – First testing labs (Northern Tigray Region) | 16 March - closing schools and banning large gatherings | 3 April – government and others helping with supply of PPE | |
| Ghana | 22 March closure of all borders (quarantining from 16 March) | Enhancing testing facilities including suspected cases | 16 March - Closure of schools and other measures including restrictions on burials | Early April - Mandatory masks in public places in a number of localities and patient education. 15 June - Compulsory masks | Dedicated hospitals and Government fast tracking testing of hand sanitisers |
| Kenya | 25 March – suspending air travel and closing borders (mass testing and quarantining before this) | Increasing testing facilities with the help of increased local production and mandatory quarantining | 13 - 19 March – lockdown and other measures introduced | Mandatory wearing of face masks and increased public education | i) Expansion of hospitals and ID units to deal with COVID-19ii) Development of treatment guidelinesiii) Active programmes to address misinformation |
| Lesotho | 30 March – Borders closed | Private industry and NGO support for testing | 30 March – lockdown measures introduced | NGO and industry support to purchase PPE | National response command centre provides guidance |
| Malawi | 1 April - suspension of international flights and increased surveillance | Increasing the number of test facilities | 18 April - lockdown measures proposed but suspended | Ongoing acquisition of PPE to meet demand | Instigation of isolation centres for COVID-19 patients and recruitment of more healthcare workers |
| Namibia | 15 March – International flights banned and 24 March Foreign travellers banned | 14 March – banning large gatherings; 15 March – schools closed and 27 March – lockdown measures introduced | Individuals expected to wear masks in public | Establishment of isolation units in public hospitals to tackle severe cases | |
| Nigeria | 23 March – closure of borders and ban on flights | Protocols for testing to increase rates | 23 March – closure of schools and ban on gatherings; 30 March – ban on non-essential travel | Measures include hand sanitisation and mandatory wearing of masks (23 April) | Nigerian CDC developing protocols and case management and instigation of isolation centres |
| Rwanda | 21 March – Ban on travel including air travel | Rapid testing – speeding up identification of cases | Mid-March – lockdown including unnecessary travel outside of homes prohibited | 19 April - Wearing of masks compulsory early in the pandemic | Robots are helping in hospitals to address resource and other concerns |
| South Africa | 26 March – complete travel ban introduced (eased 4 May) | April – mass screening introduced as well as active case-finding | 26/ 27 March – Stage 5 lockdown introduced including school closures | Early April – use of PPE/ hand sanitisers regulated | i) Isolation centres establishedii) Spread of misinformation punishable with fines or prisoniii) Length of prescriptions increased |
| Sudan | Early March – Travel restrictions introduced – extended 20 April | Screening at point of entry and WHO/ UNICEF helping with testing materials as currently limited | Early/ Mid-March and extended - social isolation and school closures | WHO/ UNICEF helping with PPE – concerns with appreciably increased prices in shops | One isolation and treatment centre in the capital |
| Tanzania | April 12 – International flights suspended | 23 March – 14-day quarantining from some countries | Yes – for large gatherings – however concerns that largely ignored | 12 May – WHO helping to convert a commercial site into a 500-bedded treatment centre | |
| Uganda | 20 March – Closing borders and banning international travel | 20 March – Mandatory quarantine at own expense for returning personnel | 20 March – Lockdown measures implemented including suspending markets– slowly releasing Mid May | Advising the public regarding hygiene measures and mandatory wearing of masks | Task Force initiated (national, regional, district) to provide guidelines |
| Zambia | March - Temporary closing of borders especially with Tanzania | i) Initial response included a 14-day quarantine for travellers (Mid-March)ii) Mass screening where cases identified as well as contact tracing | Lockdown measures including social distancing and closure of educational establishments | March - Mandatory wearing of face masks in public places and active procurement of PPE | MoH training and recruiting health workers to help with case management3 designated laboratories to help with testing using PCR methods |
| Zimbabwe | 31 March – closure of borders | 31 March - All returnees quarantined for 21 days | 30 March national lockdown – further extended 1 May | Local production of PPE and hand sanitisers to address shortages | i) Establishment of COVID-19 Treatment Centres at one ID Hospital in Harare and one in Bulawayoii) National Guidelines updatediii) Law passed with potentially prison for fake news |
NB: CDC, Centre for Disease Control; MoH, Ministry of Health; NGO, Non-governmental organization; PPE, Personal Protective Equipment; WHO, World Health Organization.