KQ carrier at Melchior Ndadaye International Airport in Bujumbura (Burundi) PHOTO| Burundi Times
Burundi government is expected to suspend all flights in the country as fear grows to prevent the spread of the virus in the country.
While addressing the press in Bujumbura the country’s public security minister Alain-Guillaume Bunyoni, called on the Minister of Transport to suspend flights to and from Melchior Ndadaye international airport for seven days as an effort to prevent the spread of the Coronavirus in the country.
“The borders will remain open and we call on citizens to remain calm and follow what the health ministry instructs including washing hands,” said the public security minister.
This comes after an estimated 60 people were quarantined for fourteen days in one of Bujumbura famous hotels as a precaution to avoid the spread of the pandemic virus.
The French Cultural Center in Burundi and the French School earlier this week suspended all activities in the country for at least 15 days that commenced on 18th March 2020.
The decision came as 29 year old French national who traveled to Kigali from 5th to 9th March 2020 revealed that she was in contact with a colleague during her stay in Kigali who was among the patients tested positive of COVID-19 in Rwanda.
Burundi is yet to confirm any case of COVID-19, however all the neighboring countries of Democratic Republic of Congo (7), Rwanda (11) and Tanzania (3) confirmed cases of Coronavirus.
According to the World Health Organization more than 8000 people have succumbed due to the virus with 209,839 cases worldwide.