COVID-19 in Africa: watch a joint media briefing with WHO and WEF

TL;DR

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on air travel, tourism, and movement across Africa, with countries facing challenges in resuming travel while balancing public health risks. Countries are implementing measures such as temperature screening, contact tracing, and disinfection protocols to mitigate the spread of the virus. Testing capacity and access to testing materials remain key issues in accurately assessing the number of cases.

Transcript

hello from the World Economic Forum in Geneva my name is Adrian Monk welcome to this Africa media briefing with the w-h-o joining us from Brazzaville Congo is dr. Matsuda zomo Ettie who is the regional director of the World Health Organization across Africa also joining us for this week are dr. armani abu zaid who's Commissioner for infrastructure ... Read More

Key Insights

• 🧔‍♀️ Tourism and travel are essential to Africa's economy, accounting for a significant portion of GDP and providing employment, particularly for women.
• 🌍 The pandemic has highlighted the need for diversification in revenue sources and innovation in the tourism sector, including digitalization and promoting travel within Africa.
• 🧑‍🏭 Countries are navigating the balancing act of resuming travel while minimizing the risk of COVID-19 transmission through measures such as temperature screening, contact tracing, disinfection, and physical distancing.
• #️⃣ Testing capacity and access to testing materials remain key challenges in accurately estimating the number of COVID-19 cases in Africa.
• 🌍 Solidarity within Africa and cooperation with global partners are crucial in mitigating the impact of the pandemic on travel and tourism.
• 🇨🇫 Discussions are underway for debt relief and forgiveness of African countries to alleviate the financial burden caused by the pandemic.
• 🤗 Opening up air travel should be done based on data and evidence to manage the risk and contain the spread of the virus, with the possibility of reversing decisions if needed.

Questions & Answers

Q: How has the COVID-19 pandemic affected tourism and travel in Africa?

The pandemic has had a severe impact on countries heavily dependent on tourism for their economies, with job losses and livelihood losses. The African Union is working to support the industry through initiatives such as lowering taxes, fees, and visa facilitation to encourage travel within Africa.

Q: Which airlines in Africa are struggling and may not survive the pandemic?

Smaller airlines, such as South African Airways, were already facing financial difficulties before the pandemic and may struggle to survive. The African Union is advocating for the viability and strengthening of giant financially stable airlines that can help boost inter-African air travel.

Q: What strategies are being put in place to ensure the safety of commuters during cross-border travel?

Public health corridors are being established to secure the path that passengers or cargo take until boarding an aircraft. This includes securing the aircraft, crew, airports, and cargo. Surveillance, testing, and mitigation measures such as disinfection and physical distancing are being implemented.

Q: How is testing being conducted in African countries and is there a higher level of undetected cases?

Testing capacity varies across African countries, with some countries having limited access to testing materials. This has resulted in underestimation of cases, as testing is primarily focused on symptomatic individuals. Efforts are being made to scale up testing capacity to improve surveillance and case detection.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• The pandemic has resulted in the closure of travel, affecting the movement of people, experts, and goods in Africa. It has had a severe impact on countries heavily dependent on tourism for their economies, with job losses and livelihood losses.

• Measures such as temperature screening, contact tracing, and disinfection protocols have been implemented at airports and other points of entry to reduce the spread of the virus.

• Testing capacity and access to testing materials remain challenges in accurately estimating the number of cases in Africa.