N'Djamena and 22 Chadian cities will be isolated from Friday and for a fortnight to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus in this poor country with a failing health system. "The entry and exit of people in all the provincial capitals and in the city of N'Djamena are prohibited for a period of two weeks renewable from May 8, 2020" , according to a government decree signed Wednesday. There are 23 provinces in Chad, including N'Djamena (the capital is a province by itself).
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The Sahelian country officially announced 170 cases of new coronavirus and 17 deaths, according to a last count made public on Tuesday. The vast majority of these cases (115) were diagnosed in N'Djamena, according to the Ministry of Health. Only “vehicles transporting goods and foodstuffs” are authorized to enter the capital, on exemption and from 22 hours only, specifies the decree of the government.
Within cities, travel is allowed until 8 p.m. local time. Likewise, wearing a mask is made compulsory throughout the territory from Thursday. In Chad, which has 16 million inhabitants, half of whom live in poverty, health emergencies are frequent and affect nearly 2 million people. This country is facing other epidemics including that of measles, with, between January and November 2019, more than 25,500 suspected cases, including 255 deaths.
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