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By Dércio Tsandzana
With over 30 countries in Africa with confirmed cases of COVID-19, Mozambique prepares for a likely outbreak of the new disease that has infected over 250,000 people worldwide and killed over 11,000.
While Mozambique has not yet detected any cases, four border countries have done so: Zambia (2), South Africa (202), Kingdom of Eswatini (1), and Tanzania (6).
The Mozambican government recently disclosed its plans for containment and mitigation. It includes, for example, the identification of possible isolation centers in all of its 11 provinces.
Although not closing any land borders yet, President Filipe Nyusi announced a few restrictive measures, including:
The largest opposition party, Renamo, called for the closure of the borders, to which Health Minister Armindo Tiago replied:
The Ministry of Health is also running a prevention campaign in schools:
Ministro da Saúde Armindo Tiago, co-orienta hoje na Escola Secundária Francisco Manyanga #Maputo com a Ministra da Educação e Desenvolvimento Humano, Carmelita Namashulua e a Exma Sra. Representante da OMS, DJamila Cabral, uma Palestra sobre Medidas de Prevenção do #Coronavírus
— Verdade Democracia (@DemocraciaMZ) March 9, 2020
Minister of Health Armindo Tiago co-supervises today at Escola Secundária Francisco Manyanga [in] Maputo, with the Minister of Education and Human Development Carmelita Namashulua and the Honorable WHO Representative, DJamila Cabral, a Lecture on Prevention Measures for #Coronavirus
But an SMS text was sent to several SIM cards in Mozambique with recommendations that many citizens found ineffective.
Did you also receive these messages?
First text in the photo: “Coronavirus belongs to a big family of viruses that cause respiratory diseases which vary from a common cold to more serious conditions such as pneumonia”
Second text: “Symptoms of coronavirus are similar to that of the common cold such as: fever, dry cough, stuffed nose, sore throat, headache, nausea and breathing difficulty.”
Historian and political analyst Egídio Vaz criticized the content of the texts:
The health minister also clarified the myth that blacks are more resistant to COVID-19, a claim that has been made in social media but isn’t backed by any available scientific evidence.
The authorities have also called on several international and diplomatic entities for support in the event of an outbreak of the disease in the country.
Meanwhile, President Filipe Nyusi himself urged Mozambicans to further mobilize to stop the outbreak on its tracks:
A message falsely attributed to UNICEF circulated on WhatsApp in Mozambique. The organization clarified the matter on Twitter:
O UNICEF não está a divulgar nenhum boletim sobre #coronavirus através do WhatsApp em #Moçambique.
Para obter informações sobre como evitar #COVID19, consulte GRÁTIS a Plataforma PENSA, digitando *660# ou ligue GRÁTIS para o Alô Vida, através de 800149, 82149 e 84146. pic.twitter.com/lnGrTxtTbI— UNICEF Moçambique (@UNICEF_Moz) March 5, 2020
UNICEF is not circulating a bulletin on #coronavirus via WhatsApp in Mozambique. For information on how to avoid COVID19, consult the PENSA Platform for FREE by dialing *660# or call Alô Vida for FREE at 800149, 82149 and 84146.
The government of Mozambique, through its spokesperson, also debunked fake news of an existing outbreak that recently circulated on social networks:
#Atencao: Nao há nenhum caso confirmado de #Coronavírus em #Moçambique, segundo anunciou o porta-voz do governo no fim da sessão extraordinária do Conselho de Ministros. “Os relatos que circulam são falsos próprios de pessoas mal-intencionadas” disse Filimao Suaze #Mozambique
— Alexandre (@AllexandreMZ) March 12, 2020
Attention: There are no confirmed cases of Coronavirus in Mozambique, as announced by the government spokesman at the end of the extraordinary session of the Council of Ministers. “The reports that are circulating are false from ill-intentioned people”
Following these recommendations, the ruling party Frelimo decided to cancel a meeting that was scheduled for March 20-22:
Face as medidas anunciadas no âmbito do Coronavirus a Comissão Política do Partido decidiu ADIAR A SESSÃO DO COMITÉ CENTRAL marcada para os dias 20 a 22 de Março para data a anunciar. #COVID19 #Coronavirus #FRELIMO pic.twitter.com/rZShGjm6mF
— FRELIMO Moçambique (@FRELIMO_) March 15, 2020
To respect the measures announced in the context of the coronavirus, the Party’s Political Commission decided to postpone the session of the Central Committee scheduled for the 20th to the 22nd of March, to be announced.
Meanwhile, journalist Rafael Machalela shared photos of a possible locally produced face mask:
Moçambicano a elevar isto a outro patamar. Gosto. pic.twitter.com/NqZDrXIe53
— RAFAEL MACHALELA 🇲🇿 (@rafaelmachalela) March 5, 2020
Mozambican to take this to another level. Like.
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Previously published on globalvoices.org and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.
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Photo credit: iStockphoto.com