Madagascar, a Southern African country famously known for its Covid Organics coronavirus medicine has has placed its capital Antananarivo under a new lockdown following a fresh wave of Covid-19 cases barely two months after the restrictions were eased, the presidency announced on Sunday afternoon.
“The Analamanga region (under which the capital is situated) is returning to full lockdown,” read part of the statement by President Andry Rajoelina. The lockdown will block traffic from moving in and out of the region. The curfew, which has been described as ‘strict’ will throttle the movement of people in the capital.
“Only one person per household is allowed to go out into the street between 6 am and 12 pm” said the statement.
The President said the measures had been undertaken “because of the spread of the epidemic and the increase of COVID-19 cases.”
Madagascar has been used to dozens of new cases in a day, but a record jump of 216 new cases on Saturday has prompted the authorities to reinstate lockdown measures to curb the surge.
The positivity rate has also increased to over 30 person as 675 were tested on Saturday.
The Southern African has tested above 24,000 people so far.
A total of 2,728 coronavirus cases have been recorded in Madagascar. 29 people has since died from the pandemic that started in China in December 2019. Madagascar recorded its first case on 29 March.
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The President has also suspended all government meetings as they will now be done under video conferencing due to the lockdown.
A month after the first case in Madagascar, President Andry Rajoelina, a former DJ announced to the world that his country had invented the first coronavirus herbal cure in form of a drink called Covid Organics.
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Rajoelina has duped it ‘the green gold’ as he as been promoting the export of the drink to countries over the world with Equatorial Guinea, Kenya, Tanzania and other African countries being the first recipients.
COVID-Organics, is a tonic derived from artemisia – a plant that is often used for the cure of malaria, has not been clinically tested or approved.