Coronavirus: Senegalese President declares state of emergency, curfew in two regions

Senegalese President, Macky Sall declared Tuesday a reimposition of a state of emergency and a curfew from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. from Wednesday on the regions of Dakar and Thies in order to contain the quick spread of the new coronavirus.

Speaking on national television after an emergency meeting of the National Epidemic Management Committee, Sall said that these two regions accounted for more than 90 percent of confirmed cases in Senegal.

Sall called on all members of the government to take all measures to ensure the application of the state of emergency.

He also urged the population to comply with individual and collective prevention provisions by avoiding non-essential movements, gatherings and other public and private meetings, and to respect barrier gestures.

Regarding vaccines, the president said that he ordered a national vaccination plan to be proposed as soon as possible, adding that Senegal continues its collaboration in the framework of COVAX initiative.

Despite this "new wave of epidemic outbreak," Senegal has human and material resources to deal with the spread, the Senegalese president said. He announced that the government would detail the measures to be adopted in this new phase in the Council of Ministers on Wednesday.

Sall lifted the curfew and the state of emergency on June 29, 2020 after several months of semi-lockdown.

Senegal has recorded to date 19,964 confirmed cases with 428 deaths.