Mozambique announces nationwide elections in 2024

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Coronavirus: Mozambique ramps up protective measures, cuts flights

In a bid to keep coronavirus (COVID-19) at bay, Mozambique Airlines (LAM) announced that it will reduce its number of flights.

Mozambique announces nationwide elections in 2024

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Portuguese news agency Lusa reported that the reduction may result in some flights being cancelled. The company said in a statement:

“On routes where traffic reduction is marked, especially those routes connecting abroad, flight cancellations may occur, in which cases the routing of passengers for our market partners will be made,”.

Ramping up protective measures at airports

LAM said it was open to making changes to ticket dates for customers who missed flights due to COVID-19 medical needs. 

“LAM is in coordination with the national health authorities, which results in the implementation of the respective recommendations, having already introduced hand hygiene through indicated disinfectants, as well as the creation of a stock of screening masks on each flight.”

Despite not having confirmed cases in Mozambique, countries in the Southern Africa Development Community are ramping up their protective measures, particularly after the confirmation of over a dozen cases in neighbouring South Africa.

Coronavirus cases in South Africa

On Thursday, health authorities in Pretoria said South Africa had recorded four new cases of COVID-19, one of them being the first instance of local transmission, which brought the total number of confirmed cases to 17.

In a statement, the department of health said the newest patients included a 38-year old man from Durban who lives in Turkey and was visiting his family in South Africa. The man had travelled to the United Kingdom and returned to South Africa on March 7.

The second case was a 27-year old woman from Mpumalanga province who had travelled to the United States, also returning to South Africa on March 7.

A 43-year old man from Johannesburg also tested positive after travelling to New York via Dubai, while a 32-year-old man from Free State province came into contact with a Chinese businessman, in what the health minister said was the first case of local transmission.

Renamo calls for SA-Mozambique border closure

It was reported earlier today that Renamo called for the South Africa-Mozambique border to be closed, with party spokesperson Jose Manteigas telling the Verdade newspaper:

“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”.

In addition, 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. Read more here.

African News Agency; editing by Desiree Erasmus