Congo: Authorities announce reopening of air borders from August 24 /update 11

Event

Authorities announced on Thursday, August 20, the reopening of the country's air borders from Monday, August 24, following their closure due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. Land, river, and sea borders remain closed with the exception of freight transport until further notice.

Congolese authorities extended the country's state of health emergency until September 8 due to COVID-19. Other COVID-19 measures remain in place, including the nightly curfew in major metropolitan areas, including Brazzaville and Pointe-Noire, which are in effect between 20:00 and 05:00 (local time). A curfew remains in place nationwide between 22:00 and 05:00. 

Face masks remain compulsory in public places, and social distancing and hygiene measures should be maintained. A ban on public gatherings of over 50 people is in place. Most shops, businesses, places of worship, schools, and entertainment venues remain closed, except those selling essential goods and food. Additional security personnel have been mobilized to ensure compliance with the measures introduced by the government. Domestic passenger flights and road travel has resumed nationwide.

As of Friday, August 21, there have been 3850 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the Republic of Congo and 77 associated fatalities. Further international spread of the virus is to be expected in the near term.

Context

The first case of COVID-19 was reported on December 31 and the source of the outbreak has been linked to a wet market in Wuhan (Hubei province, China). Since then, human-to-human transmission of the virus has been confirmed.

Cases of the virus have been confirmed in numerous countries and territories worldwide. On March 11, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the global outbreak a pandemic. Virus-screening and quarantining measures are being implemented at airports worldwide, as well as extensive travel restrictions.

The most common symptoms of COVID-19 are fever, dry cough, and tiredness. Some patients may experience other symptoms such as body pains, nasal congestion, headache, conjunctivitis, sore throat, diarrhea, loss of taste or smell or a rash on skin or discoloration of fingers or toes. These symptoms (in most cases mild) appear gradually. Generally, most patients (around 80 percent) recover from the disease without being hospitalized.

Advice

Measures adopted by local authorities evolve quickly, and are usually effective immediately. Depending on the evolution of the outbreak in other countries, authorities are likely to modify, at very short notice, the list of countries whose travelers are subject to border control measures or entry restrictions upon their arrival to the territory in question. It is advised to postpone non-essential travel due to the risk that travelers may be refused entry or be subject to quarantine upon their arrival or during their stay.

To reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission, travelers are advised to abide by the following measures:

• Frequently clean hands by applying an alcohol-based hand rub or washing with soap and water.
• When coughing and sneezing, cover mouth and nose with a flexed elbow or tissue; if used, throw the tissue away immediately and wash hands.
• If experiencing a fever, cough, difficulty breathing, or any other symptoms suggestive of respiratory illness, including pneumonia, call emergency services before going to the doctor or hospital to prevent the potential spread of the disease.