Ivory Coast relaxes measures to fight the Covid-19 pandemic

President Ouattara of Ivory Coast announces a return to normal activities within the country this Friday, May 8. Ouattara made the statement on public television Thursday evening.

The announcement of the measures was made after a meeting of the National Health Security Council, which noted that since April 21, the date on which the Ivorian economic capital was isolated from the rest of the country. No case of infection had been reported in the other cities of the Ivory Coast.

Consequently, President Ouattara has decided to lift the restrictions imposed to fight the disease, in particular the end of the curfew, the reopening of schools, restaurants, maquis, performance halls.

This easing measure does not concern the economic capital Abidjan, which still has to wait a week until May 15, the date on which measures like those taken on Thursday will be applied… depending on the evolution of the situation.

For the largest city in the country (5 million residents), wearing a mask is now compulsory and will be systematically checked, said President Ivorian. However, the curfew from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. goes from 11 p.m. to 4 a.m.

According to official figures published Thursday, Abidjan and its region accounted for 98% of the 1571 cases of coronavirus.

Despite these flexibility measures, the country’s borders remain closed until further notice and the health alert system maintained until the end of 2020.