The Mauritanian government on Friday tightened measures to contain the spread of COVID-19 in the country as the number of cases continues to rise, reported CGTN Africa.
The Ministerial Committee in charge of monitoring the development of COVID-19 has decided to ban all public gatherings and has ordered the closure of theatres.
The Ministry of the Interior and Decentralization issued a decree on Friday, making it mandatory for Mauritanians to wear masks in public places, including in markets, cafes, restaurants, and on public transportation. The ministry also announced the deployment of teams monitoring compliance with precautionary measures.
The Mauritanian government will start a national awareness campaign to make people aware of the new Omicron variant.
“The new variant is spreading rapidly,” Health Minister Sidi Ould Zahaf said in a statement on Friday.
He urged the public to strictly adhere to preventive measures.
Mauritania has reported a total of 47,036 coronavirus cases and 872 deaths since the start of the pandemic two years ago, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). The health authorities reported over 1,445 cases over the last seven days.
It also became the first West African country and the 12th on the continent to reach the World Health Organization’s goal of vaccinating at least 10 percent of its population before the end of September.
Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Ghazouani also tested positive for the virus earlier this week after displaying mild symptoms of COVID-19.
In related news, the WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has warned that Omicron is killing people across the globe and shouldn’t be dismissed as mild.
He said while Omicron does appear to be less severe compared to Delta, especially in those vaccinated, it does not mean it should be categorized as mild. He added that Omicron is hospitalizing and killing people same like other coronavirus variants.
