CREDIT: AFP/GETTY IMAGES
Sierra Leone government has recorded its first case of the novel coronavirus, making it the latest African country to record an infection, it emerged on Tuesday.
President Julius Maada Bio, in a televised press conference, said that a 37-year-old man who arrived in the country from France on March 16 had tested positive for the virus.
Bio said the man had been quarantined since arrival in the country, adding that “it was not a matter of whether, but when. Ladies and gentlemen, the when is here.”
The president stressed that authorities were aggressively tracing people who may have come into contact with the infected patient, and urged people to report anyone with coronavirus symptoms to the authorities.
The government announced that anti-virus measures, which include the closure of land borders, ban on international flights, shut down of schools and other measures, will take effect from today until further notice.
Bio said;
The government will respond rapidly to changes in the situation by announcing additional enhanced measures.
Sierra Leone had been one of the few countries in Africa to have reported zero cases, despite neighboring Guinea and Liberia having detected infections.
There are fears that, like its neighbours, the poor nation of 7.5 million people is particularly exposed to an outbreak.
Sierra Leone, the former British colony was badly hit by the 2014-2016 West African Ebola crisis, which killed almost 4,000 people in Sierra Leone.
Other nations in Africa that are yet to record a case of Coronavirus are: South Sudan, Burundi, Sao Tome and Principe, Malawi, Lesotho and Comoros.
