Niger has banned gatherings for a period of two weeks and decided to close bars, nightclubs and performance halls due to a worrying increase in the number of people affected by the coronavirus, the ministry said on Saturday (December 26). of Health, on the eve of the presidential election on Sunday.
The ban concerns in particular gatherings during wedding, baptism or death ceremonies, specifies the ministry.
Read also: Coronavirus in Niger: violent clashes between residents and law enforcement in Niamey
The favorite of the poll, the former minister Mohamed Bazoum, canceled his last campaign rally scheduled for Friday, December 25 at the Niamey stadium due to the outbreak of contamination.
“
The situation is gaining momentum.
We went from 10 hospitalizations (...) to more than 100 with very serious cases
”, explained on public television Abarchi Ranaou, the secretary general of the Nigerien Ministry of Health, to justify these measures.
Niger, which had so far been relatively spared, has recorded 3,005 cases of coronavirus including 91 deaths since March, according to a report on Friday, December 25.
However, more than 1,000 of these cases occurred between December 1 and 21, 2020, or 43% of all cumulative cases, notes a statement from the Council of Ministers held on December 23.
Read also: Coronavirus in Niger: State aid for business loans
The government reminded the populations to “
strictly respect
” barrier measures, in particular distancing, hand washing and regular disinfection of public places.
If the situation grows further "
after the two-week deadline
", the authorities will have to "
take other more draconian measures
", warned Ranaou.
In May, the government lifted a curfew in Niamey, the capital, and authorized the reopening of places of worship, closed at the end of March to combat the spread of the coronavirus.
At the end of March, Niamey had been shaken for several weeks by riots against the measure and the ban on collective prayers.
The police had arrested nearly 300 suspected rioters during the violence between April 17 and April 21, according to the police.
Land borders still remain closed.
In addition to the coronavirus, Niger has been facing violence from jihadist groups for several years, which has hit the entire Sahel region.