Burundi health minister visits virus test centre

<p>Burundi’s health minister Monday visited a <span class="caps">COVID</span>-19 testing center in Bujumbura.</p> <p>The visit comes as the new president has signaled that his government will take the coronavirus pandemic more seriously than his dead predecessor.</p> <p>President Evariste Ndayishimiye called the virus the country’s “worst enemy” and announced new screenings.</p> <p>He said the screenings will be launched wherever clusters of cases are suspected, and that soap prices and water bills will be reduced.</p> <p>Predecessor Pierre Nkurunziza died last month of what Burundi’s government called a heart attack.</p> <p>His government had been criticized not taking the pandemic seriously.</p> <p>It kicked out the World Health Organization’s country director, and allowed large campaign rallies ahead of the presidential election in May.</p> <p>It also expressed the belief that divine protection would largely suffice for protection.</p> <p>Burundi has 191 confirmed cases of the virus.</p> <p>Health workers in Burundi have warned that the coronavirus is more serious there than the government admits, Human Rights Watch said last week.</p> <p><strong>AP</strong></p>