COVID-19: Burkina Faso records new deaths

Two new coronavirus-related deaths have been recorded in Burkina Faso, where four ministers are infected with Covid-19, according to a report from the Health Emergency Response Operations Centre (Corus) released Saturday.

“Two deaths (were) recorded today, bringing to three the number of deaths since the beginning of the epidemic,” the report said.

“24 (new) cases were confirmed on 20 March including 19 in Ouagadougou, two in Bobo-Dioulasso, two in Boromo and one in Dédougou”, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to “64 (29 women and 35 men)”, according to the report.

A poor, landlocked West African country with a population of 20 million, Burkina Faso on Wednesday recorded the first coronavirus-related death in sub-Saharan Africa.

Four members of the government are among the new cases, according to press releases issued by their cabinets. They are the ministers of Education, Interior, Foreign Affairs and Mines and Quarries.

Five cases of recovery, including the first infected couple, have also been recorded according to the Corus.

Burkina announced Friday evening the closure of its land and air borders and the introduction of a curfew from 21 March to fight the coronavirus epidemic.