Comoros has announced its first confirmed COVID-19 case, as Lesotho remains the only country in Africa without Coronavirus.
“On this day of April 30, 2020, the government declares the first case of COVID-19 on the Comoros,” President Azali Assoumani said during an address to the nation on Thursday evening.
The case involves a man in his 50s who came into contact with a French-Comorian national with recent travel history to France.
“The patient’s medical condition is gradually improving,” Azali assured, adding that his contacts were being traced.
Borders are closed in Comoros while a curfew between 8 p.m. and 5 a.m. is in effect. But Assoumani said he is yet to impose a full lockdown because most of the population lives off informal work.
“At this stage of the pandemic, we cannot afford to adopt measures that could lead to social and economic drama,” he added.
The president also confirmed that contact tracing is being carried out. But a healthcare worker who did not wish to give her name told AFP news agency the announcement came “rather late”.
“Only one positive case? The president is funny. The [real] number is much higher,” she said.
The new development leaves Lesotho as the sole African country without a confirmed case of Coronavirus.
