DAKAR, March 14 (Xinhua) -- Senegalese president Macky Sall announced on Saturday to ban all public events on Senegalese territory for a period of 30 days as a measure to fight the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in the West African country.
Schools, from primary to universities, will also be shut down from March 16 on for three weeks, Sall said, after a presidential emergency council on the novel coronavirus convened at his presidential palace.
After consulting with the Health minister Abdoulaye Diouf Sarr, other members of the government and members of the epidemic management committee, President Sall also demanded the strengthening of systematic health checks at all borders, and temporary suspension of all cruise docking.
Also, the the celebration of Senegal's 60th anniversary of independence is cancelled. Instead of the traditional April 4 parade, Macky Sall announced a possible simple military ceremony, instead of the traditional April 4 parade, will take place at the presidential palace.
Most of Senegal's COVID-19 cases are reported from Touba, the second most populous city in the country. All 16 cases declared positive resulted from the contamination of the fifth confirmed case, a Senegalese emigrant recently returned on March 6 from Italy to Touba via Dakar.
Senegal is the most affected country in West Africa with a total of 21 confirmed cases of COVID-19. Two of them have been declared, by the health ministry, cured and discharged from hospital.
