Coronavirus: Renamo calls for SA-Mozambique border closure

The Mozambican National Resistance (Renamo) has called for the closure of the borders with South Africa following confirmed Covid-19 cases, local media reported on Tuesday.

Party spokesman Jose Manteigas told Verdade newspaper that several countries have closed their borders due to the outbreak of Covid-19, but Mozambique continues to leave its borders open.

“In the face of this very threatening scenario, Mozambicans and Renamo are concerned about the fragility of the borders without control in order to prevent the entry of this virus in our country,” he said.

Closing borders ‘an extreme measure’

Health Minister Armindo Tiago told the newspaper that there were international criteria on ‘when a border is closed’ and warned of the economic and social impact of that decision.

“Closing borders is an extreme measure that should only be used in view of a risk that could possibly create a calamity situation, it is not the case. Even now, China has not closed its borders, it has quarantined some cities, but closing borders has an economic and social impact,” Tiago told the newspaper.

Growing coronavirus case load in SA

South Africa reported seven confirmed cases of Covid-19. The country is the main source of most products consumed in Mozambique and one of the main destinations for exports.

Tiago also revealed that the application of quarantine measures to travellers from certain countries was defined by a technical group from the World Health Organization on a daily basis and at this moment only China, Italy, South Korea, Iran, Germany and France were the group of countries whose travellers must be quarantined.

– African News Agency (ANA); Editing by Kim Kay