Coronavirus Africa summary: cases, deaths, news - 8 June

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Covid-19 crisis "has fuelled China-US rivalry in Affrica"

Africa is "increasingly becoming a part of Washington and Beiing's new cold war battlefield", writes the journalist Andrew Harding in the BBC, with the coronavirus pandemic only making this trend all the more pronounced:

Akeredolu bans public viewing of football matches in Ondo

Ondo State Governor Rotimi Akeredolu expressed his concern over the rate at which the public have been disobeying restriction orders as Nigeria battles the coronavirus pandemic. Football matches cannot be watched in public areas until further notice, The Punch reports.

“All residents are encouraged to practise, more than before, social and physical distancing, use of masks, hand washing and travel restriction. All Premiership football viewing centres are hereby banned from operations until further notice. All religious organisations are to further ensure stringent implementation of the agreed guidelines for worship".

South Africa hits two Covid-19 milestones on Monday

South Africa reached two unhappy milestones today as the total number of positive Covid-19 topped 50,000 with 50,879 cases reported. The number of deaths meanwhile topped four figures, ending the day on 1,080 deaths. 

Cleric Dies Of Coronavirus In Ondo

59-year-old clergyman has died of coronavirus in Ondo State, reports claim. The cleric died while receiving medical treatment at the Infectious Disease Hospital along Igbatoro Road in Akure, the state capital. The cleric had travelled to Lagos where he developed difficulty in breathing before he returned to Akure and his blood sample collected for testing.

A journalist, nurse and an American returnee were among 19 persons that tested positive for the virus in the last two weeks. 

UN Provides $40 million in response to new Ebola outbreak in Congo 

The United Nations has released $40 million from its Central Emergency Response Fund to help tackle a new outbreak of Ebola and other health and humanitarian crises in the Democratic Republic of Congo.  

More than 2,200 people have died since the epidemic started in eastern Ituri, North and South Kivu provinces in August 2018.

Speaker of Ethiopia's upper House resigns after polls postponed

Ethiopia's upper house speaker Keria Ibrahim resigned on Monday in apparent protest at the postponement of planned elections in the country over coronavirus, a sign of growing tension between her party and the government.

The speaker is also a top official in Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), one of the country's major political parties and which has opposed the poll postponement. The parliamentary and regional elections had been planned for August ahead of the end of incumbent Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's term in September. No new date has yet been set.

In a televised speech, Keria accused Abiy's government of taking away Ethiopians' sovereign rights, without elaborating. She was widely understood to refer to the government's decision to postpone the elections which effectively allowed Abiy to continue ruling beyond the expiry of his term. 

A staff member sanitizes the hands of students as schools begin to reopen after the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) lockdown in Soweto township in Johannesburg, South Africa June 8, 2020. REUTERS/Siyabonga Sishi

A quarter of a billion children out of school in Africa

As South Africa starts reopening classrooms, Save the Children has highlighted that over 250 million kids in Africa remain outside of school due to the coronavirus pandemic. 

Schools reopen in S.Africa after delay over health concerns

(Reuters) Children in South Africa began returning to classrooms on Monday as part of a gradual loosening of Covid-19 lockdown restrictions even as some parents worried not enough had been done to protect the health of pupils.

The reopening of schools was delayed after teachers' unions urged school staff to defy the government order last week, saying schools lacked sufficient health and hygiene measures to keep educators and pupils safe.

South Africa, the continent's most industrialised nation, has recorded nearly 50,000 cases of the new coronavirus - the most of any African country - along with almost 1,000 deaths.

Back to school in SA

Children in South Africa returned to class on Monday as the country started to lift some of its coronavirus lockdown restrictions. 

WHO offers face mask tips

The Nigerian branch of the World Health Organisation circulated this simple but effective guide on how to wear a face mask properly.

Coronavirus: The misinformation circulating in Africa about Covid-19

A selection of some of the stories that have been widely shared recently.

Via BBC

Coronavirus widens the cracks in Egypt's cement industry

Coronavirus is putting Egypt's private cement industry under even more pressure.

Already scrambling to respond to competition from a vast new factory owned by the military, the pandemic has stymied a nascent rebound in sales, raising the possibility of plant closures, industry executives and analysts say.

Demand for cement in Egypt was on the decline when the military opened a $1 billion factory in 2018 that added 13 million tonnes of annual capacity, on top of the country's existing 79 million tonnes.

Schools re-open in South Africa after initial delay

Children in South Africa began returning to classrooms on Monday as part of a gradual loosening of restrictions imposed under a months-long COVID-19 lockdown in the continent's most industrialised nation.

The re-opening of schools had been delayed after teachers' unions urged school staff to defy the government order last week, saying schools lacked sufficient health and hygiene measures to keep educators and pupils safe.

South Africa has counted nearly 50,000 cases of the new coronavirus - the most of any country in sub-Saharan Africa - along with almost 1,000 deaths.

Recycling plastics to make face masks in Tanzania

A recycling plant in Tanzania’s port city of Dar es Salaam has traded paper for plastic bottles and started making anti-coronavirus face shields that are being snatched up by hospitals and health centres nationwide.

Zaidi Recyclers switched to the production of face shields, a vital piece of personal protective equipment for health workers during the coronavirus pandemic.

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:

Coronavirus Africa live updates: welcome

Hello and welcome to our live, Africa-focused coverage of the coronavirus pandemic, which as of Monday morning had registered over 7 million cases and now over 400,000 deaths worldwide, according to figures compiled by Johns Hopkins University. Join us for the latest news and developments as they emerge throughout the course of the day.