Coronavirus measures spark debate among Burkinabè
To slow the spread of Covid-19, the government announced measures last week, when the country had only two cases. But they are viewed differently by populations as the country records more and more cases of Covid-19 contamination. As of March 18, the country had 27 cases of contamination, including one death.
From our correspondent in Ouagadougou,
In recent days, schools, nightclubs, and movie theaters have been closed. Large gatherings have been restricted, religious authorities have issued directives for worship, but coronavirus continues to spread.
Omar Tapsoba, a merchant in Ouagadougou, just left the mosque. He believes the measures announced by the government are beneficial. "The measures are well-crafted; it is better to prevent than to cure."
In contrast, for Amadé Kaboré and his friends, these measures are insufficient to effectively fight Covid-19. They propose closing the country's borders: "Schools are closed, fine. But if mom and dad go to the markets and are infected with this virus, won't those at home be infected too?", "there is much more to be done", "there comes a time when you must close the borders and have the courage to take a certain number of measures."
Border closure is not currently on the agenda according to the government spokesperson. The Catholic Church has just announced the suspension of all public masses until April 4.
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