Coronavirus Africa summary: cases, deaths, news - 14 May

Zimbabwe to circulate higher bank notes as inflation soars

Zimbabwe will introduce higher denomination bank notes to increase the amount of cash in circulation, the finance minister said in a government notice on Thursday, at a time inflation is soaring and pushing prices beyond the reach of the majority.

The southern African nation brought back the discredited Zimbabwe dollar currency last year in June after a decade of dollarisation. The move failed to end severe cash shortages and unleashed inflation, which reached 676.39% in March, one of the highest in the world.

Mthuli Ncube said the central bank would start circulating 10 and 20 Zimbabwe dollar ($0.80) notes. Until now, the highest denomination was a 5 Zimbabwe dollar bank note.

In-depth WHO analysis of coronavirus' spread in Africa

Uganda seeks debt amnesty as Covid-19 financial impact hits

Walk-through sanitising booths for South African commuters

A foreign migrant carries a bucket filled with water upstairs in a building in the Kwa Mai Mai area in Johannesburg, South Africa. Over 50 people, residents of the same building and mostly foreign nationals, are currently unemployed because of the lockdown imposed by the South African authorities to curb the spread of the coronavirus. Dozens of them are unable to feed themselves, as the only charity providing them with food has not brought any in several days. (Photo: MARCO LONGARI/AFP)

Global death toll passes 300,000

The worldwide death toll from the coronavirus pandemic has moved past the 300,000 mark, according to figures compiled by Johns Hopkins University. In all, 300,315 people have died of Covid-19, JHU says.

There have been a total of 4,408,618 cases of coronavirus since the crisis began, with the United States the world’s worst-affected country. 1,401,948 people have contracted Covid-19 in the US, leading to 85,066 fatalities.

South Africa has been the worst-hit nation in Africa, registering 12,739 cases and 238 deaths.

Hundreds of child weddings thwarted in Ethiopia as coronavirus locks girls out of schools

More than 500 girls have been rescued from child marriage in northern Ethiopia since schools were shut due to the new coronavirus, a regional official said, as fears mount that the pandemic is reversing years of work to stop underage unions.

Ethiopia closed its schools in mid-March, sending 26 million children home, where girls face a greater risk of being illegally forced into marriage under the age of 18, which some human rights activists regard as a form of slavery.

"The number is rising," said Asnaku Deres, head of the bureau of women, children, and youth affairs in the northern region of Amhara, adding that local authorities have stopped 540 child marriages in the last two months.

Khat cut to curb coronavirus

As part of its efforts to curb the spread of the coronavirus, the Somalian government has banned the importing of khat, a mild, leaf-form stimulant that is chewed by people in the country. However, it is still finding its way into Somalia, report the BBC’s Mary Harper and Bella Hassan.

Kenyans left out of work fight spread of Covid-19

A Kenyan man, among those who are employed at a local workshop to make face shields and body suits after they recently lost their jobs due to the coronavirus pandemic, wears a face shield as he assembles others in the Waithaka suburb of Nairobi, Kenya. A Kenyan entrepreneur, Anthony Karanja, set up a local workshop that produces face shields and body suits that he later sells, and donates some to health workers in local health facilities as a way of creating employment to youths who recently lost their jobs and to join the fight in curbing the spread of the coronavirus. (Photo: EFE/EPA/Daniel Irungu)

Covid-19

Coronavirus: the complete guide to the Covid-19 pandemic

Coronavirus: the complete guide to the Covid-19 pandemic

All the information you need to understand the coronavirus and ways to stay safe during the Covid-19 pandemic:

Burundi expels WHO team as it prepares for presidential election

(Reuters) Burundi is expelling the national head of the World Health Organisation (WHO) and three members of his team as it prepares for a presidential election that is being held next week despite concern about health risks during the coronavirus pandemic.

The government confirmed on Thursday that a May 12 letter from the foreign ministry was sent to WHO country head Walter Kazadi Mulombo and three others of the U.N. body's health experts, ordering them out by Friday.

Bernard Ntahiraja, the foreign affairs assistant minister, said the officials had been declared "persona non grata" but did not give reasons.

The vote for a successor to President Pierre Nkurunziza, whose government has repeatedly been accused of rights abuses and has previously expelled other representatives of international bodies, is scheduled for May 20. 

Lesotho confirms first Covid-19 case

Lesotho was the only country on the continent without coronavirus cases but the nation of just over 2 million inhabitants registered its first on Thursday. 

Johannesburg screening and testing

Men line up as Ministry of Health workers conduct a COVID-19 coronavirus screening and testing drive at the Wolhuter men's hostel in the Jeppestown district of Johannesburg.

(Photo by MARCO LONGARI / AFP)

SA anti-body aid

People in South Africa who have recovered from the Covid-19 coronavirus are donating their blood to help others who are trying to fight off the disease that has so far claimed more than 200 lives and infected more than 10,000 people in the country

Mask wearing via BBC Africa

A fine brief video from the BBC on mask wearing and what type you should endeavour to use.

Collapse in consumption dragging down global economic outlook - IMF

A collapse in consumption and other incoming data are dragging down the outlook for the global economy, the International Monetary Fund's chief economist Gita Gopinath said.

Gopinath said economic data gathered since April confirmed the IMF's forecast for a 3% contraction in global economic output, and potentially worse scenarios.

"If anything, it looks like the outlook will worsen," she told a conference hosted by the Financial Times newspaper, adding that the collapse of consumption would likely "lead to downward revisions."

Burkina Faso prosecutor launches probe after 12 detainees die in custody

A Burkina Faso prosecutor has launched an investigation after 12 people died during the same night in detention cells, hours after they were arrested for suspected terrorism-related offences in a town in the east of the country.

The case comes weeks after advocacy group Human Rights Watch said it believed Burkina Faso security forces  summarily executed 31 unarmed detainees during operations against Islamist militants.

The prosecutor, Judicael Kadeba, said in a statement late on Wednesday the incident took place the town of Fada N'Gourma, around 220km (137 miles) east of the capital Ouagadougou.

He said 25 people were arrested during the night of May 11 - 12 by Burkina Faso security and defence forces for suspected terrorism in a village in the Fada N'Gourma area.

Mental health advise from the World Health Organisation II

The pandemic is having a major impact on mental well-being across the planet with the WHO offering some guidelines to deal with the impact of the situation.

Mental health advise from the World Health Organisation

The pandemic is having a major impact on mental well-being across the planet with the WHO offering some guidelines to deal with the impact of the situation.

The Nation (Nigeria) front cover: May14

Dispute over lifting Lagos lockdown dominates the font cover of today's paper.

South Africa to ease coronavirus restrictions cautiously -Ramaphosa

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Wednesday he aimed to further ease restrictions imposed to curb the new coronavirus, but places with the most infections likely would remain into June on "alert level 4" of a five-level system.

Ramaphosa imposed one of the world's toughest lockdowns in late March, with restrictions only easing slightly from May 1 when the country moved to a five-level alert system where five represents the most restrictions.

He said in an address to the nation on Wednesday that the strict measures were necessary to improve the readiness of the country's health facilities and prevent additional deaths. The country moved from level 5 to level 4 on May 1.

"We will therefore continue to proceed cautiously," he said.

Burundi expels national WHO head during election campaign

Burundi is expelling the national head of the World Health Organisation (WHO) during a presidential election campaign where politicians have pressed ahead with large rallies despite the risk from the coronavirus pandemic.

The government confirmed on Thursday that a May 12 letter from the foreign ministry was sent to WHO country head Walter Kazadi Mulombo and three aides ordering them out by Friday.

The vote for a successor to President Pierre Nkurunziza, whose government has been repeatedly accused of rights abuses and has previously expelled other representatives of international bodies, is due on May 20.

Cape Town focal point of SA Covid-19 cases

The coronavirus outbreak in South Africa has hit hardest in the Western Cape, home to the city of Cape Town. The province now has more than half of the 12,074 confirmed cases nationwide and in recent days contributed about 90% of new infections recorded by the Health Ministry.

Coronavirus live Africa: welcome

Hello and welcome to our live, Africa-focused coverage of the coronavirus pandemic, which has now registered just over 4.3 million cases worldwide. We'll be looking to bring you the latest news and numbers as they emerge throughout the course of the day.