Covid-19 in DRC: Concerns Mount Ahead of National Curfew

With our correspondent in Kinshasa, Sébastien Németh

Karaoke atmosphere at the Michelet bar-restaurant, in the Limété district. Staff await customers but are worried. Because this Friday evening, the establishment will have to close much earlier than planned.

"In the evening, I have many customers who come to eat, drink... We are very disappointed. It doesn't do us any good. If the curfew lasts too long, we will lose customers. And there won't be any money...", confides Léonard Liloko, one of the bar-restaurant employees.

No end date yet for this curfew

The curfew will halt activity during crucial hours. The argument is also heard in the transport sector. Eric Kabambi, taxi driver, makes no secret of his apprehension. "9 p.m., that's lost income for us. Generally, in Kinshasa, it's at those times that people leave a little tip. Most people are coming back from work. (...) Why confine us only at late hours? For me, there may be something fishy. There's something they're hiding from us", he explains.

Even those who work during the day will be penalized. Yusuf Kaa is a painter-artist. He lives far away and sometimes needs several hours to get home in the evening. The curfew doesn't suit him at all. "It will paralyze so many activities. We are among the most confined. We don't have good transport and other things. We don't refuse, we accept, but let them think carefully about the timing!", he laments.

The curfew has an unlimited duration. Congolese therefore do not know how long they will have to endure the lost income.