Fearing a new wave of contamination with the new coronavirus, the Senegalese authorities have decided to strengthen controls for wearing masks in public and private places, shops and transport. An instruction from the Minister of the Interior to all regional governors and to the security forces, which has not yet been applied in public transport.
as reported from Dakar, Birahim Toure
As every day in Diamalaye, Dakar, the atmosphere is hectic when the fast buses stop. The salesmen, drivers and apprentices of these quaint and typically Senegalese buses are busy looking for customers.
Among them, Ousman is a hooter and sometimes a driver. “Often there are people who wear their masks naturally, but there are people who do not yet wear their masks and often it is not the driver’s fault. But the police stop the case and ask us why the clients do not wear their masks and issue fines. This is not at all normal, he thinks.
A little further on, at the terminal of the Tata-type minibuses, the atmosphere is gloomier. Here, too, the guilty customers, according to Mamadou Lamindour, are a driver: “We ask customers to wear masks when they get up. Usually they do, but when they sit down, some put it back in their pockets. And then the police say we are responsible. ”
Three new cases by Covid-19 had been registered in early November. But since then, the number of coronavirus infections has increased drastically. As of early December, the country has already registered 304 cases in just four days.
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