Coronavirus cooperation: ECOWAS health ministers meet in Mali

West African Health Ministers met in Bamako on Friday to discuss the threat of the coronavirus to their countries. They agreed to strengthen cooperation and to increase vigilance and surveillance at entry ports.

Michel Hamala Sidibé, Minister of Health and Social Affairs of Mali said the meeting had been successful and countries have bolstered resolve to cooperate to combat the virus.

“Today, we are leaving here, really satisfied because we are going to develop plans, of course national responses that already exist in several cases, we are going to try to consolidate them into plans that would really enable us to have a coherent approach that could be financed at the regional level.”

On Friday, Egyptian authorities confirmed a coronavirus case, the first in Africa. African countries have been stepping up health checks for travelers from China, where the disease has killed over 1,500 and infected tens of thousands.