Like most cities in the world, the streets of Senegal are now empty of their inhabitants between 8pm and 6am. In order to curb the risk of contamination by the coronavirus, President Macky Sall declared a state of emergency on 23 March and introduced a curfew throughout the country. To date, 207 cases of coronavirus have been declared in Senegal, with 66 recoveries, 139 patients still under treatment, 1 deceased and 1 evacuated. Among them, Modou[1], who is currently being treated at the Fann University Hospital in Dakar, spoke out:
It doesn't hurt, but we know we're carrying the virus. The isolation is pretty stressful. You think about your parents and it's hard. If we could, we would be at home with our own... [I invite] all Senegalese people to follow the recommendations given by health professionals so as not to needlessly expose their fellow citizens to this disaster. [2]
Dr. Abdoulaye Bousso, Director of the Health Emergency Operations Center [Centre des Opérations d'Urgences Sanitaires (COUS)] indicated that more than 1,500 suspected cases are currently being monitored in Senegal. Given the steady increase in the number of people affected, emergency measures have been taken to reinforce the medical measures that were already in place. Thus, in one of the worst affected areas, Touba, a ‘mobile field hospital’ with a capacity of 20 beds is under construction. Another 100 beds will be installed at the children's hospital in the new town of Diamniadio, 30 km from Dakar.
The entire strategy has been implemented. All of the country's health structures have been mobilized. We don't have any serious cases yet, but we are expecting new cases in the coming days. Several people have been quarantined after their return from travel, we will know more about their fate in 14 days and their results could very well be positive [3],
Senegal, which had experienced the Ebola epidemic in 2013 and 2014, did not wait for the increase in cases to take rigorous measures. Thus, in addition to the national curfew, schools and universities were closed, prayers in places of worship were banned, transport was reduced and strict hygiene rules were imposed. In order to limit the economic impact of this health crisis, a response and solidarity fund, Force-Covid-19, has been created by the government and will be endowed with 1000 billion FCFA (about 164M.US$). An envelope of 50 billion (about US$82 million) will be devoted to making purchases for an emergency food aid, as the month of Ramadan approaches. In addition, the Law No. 2020-13 was voted, and empowers the President to take, by ordinance, measures within the scope of the law to deal with the COVID19 pandemic and authorizes an extension of the state of emergency.
The UNESCO Regional Office in Dakar is working to redirect its efforts and support the decisions taken by the government of Senegal, in particular in favor of children, deprived of education since the closure of schools and universities, and for whom the implementation distance learning tools will be a major first step. The Office also focuses on the fight against the dissemination of false information in the media, which are destabilizing and dangerous for peace and social cohesion. With the regional thematic group on gender in West and Central Africa, the Office participated in the consultations for the gender issue in the response to COVID-19 to be better accounted for.
These actions, in synergy, contribute and help populations to endure the unprecedented and difficult conditions of this pandemic, all while participating to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3: ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages.
[1] The name of the patient was changed for the purposes of the article.
[2] https://galsen221.com/hopital-fann-lemouvant-temoignage-dun-...
[3] https://www.senenews.com/actualites/coronavirus-le-senegal-s...