Africa

Informal vendors gather on Wednesday in front of a municipal office building in Johannesburg to try to obtain a permit for working amid the national lockdown due to the coronavirus outbreak.

World Bank: Coronavirus Is Pushing Sub-Saharan Africa To First Recession In 25 Years

1:32pm April 09, 2020

by Merrit Kennedy

Sub-Saharan Africa is home to some of the world's fastest-growing economies. But the World Bank projects its economies could pull back as much as 5.1% this year, driven by the coronavirus pandemic.

South Africa Leads The African Continent In COVID-19 Cases

5:02am April 09, 2020

by Eyder Peralta

One of South Africa's biggest private hospitals in Durban is in crisis after 66 people — at least 48 of which are on staff — tested positive for the coronavirus.

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World News

Lockdown Ordered In Zimbabwe, Where The Economy And Health Care Already Suffer

8:47pm April 08, 2020

by Eyder Peralta

Zimbabwe's economy and health care system collapsed long before the coronavirus hit. The current lockdown has dealt the country yet one more blow.

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Valentina Constanza Cerda Aravena of Santiago, Chile, and Simone Di Benedetto of Italy have had to adapt to a new social life with the isolation measures required to suppress the spread of COVID-19.

Gen Z Under Lockdown: How They're Coping, From TikTok To Virtual Drinks

1:21pm April 08, 2020

by Isabella Gomez Sarmiento

Gen Z has been criticized for not taking social distancing seriously. We talk to teens and people in their early 20s around the world about why they're staying home — and how they're staying sane.

Medical workers transfer a patient from the Doctors Without Borders cholera treatment unit to the intensive care unit at the general hospital in Masisi, Democratic Republic of Congo.

Aid Groups Say They've Never Faced A Challenge Like The Novel Coronavirus

4:59pm April 07, 2020

by Malaka Gharib

Humanitarian organizations are used to dealing with droughts, conflict and natural disaster. But the pandemic adds unprecedented layers of difficulty to their work.

Residents wash their hands at a station set up by Shining Hope for Communities in Kibera, a neighborhood in Nairobi, Kenya, where running water is scarce.

How Do You Wash Your Hands To Fend Off Coronavirus If Water Is Scarce?

4:55pm April 04, 2020

by Malaka Gharib

One of the top pieces of advice is: Wash your hands to prevent infection. But millions of people don't have access to running water.

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Kathungu Kinyatole plants a tree to honor a loved one she lost to the Ebola virus.

Alternative Mourning Rituals Offer Comfort And Closure During An Outbreak

3:33pm April 02, 2020

A program in the Democratic Republic of Congo has helped survivors mourn the loss of a loved one to Ebola — and may be relevant for families coping with death in the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ferry passengers flee from police firing teargas near a ferry in Mombasa, Kenya, on Friday.

In Kenya, Security Forces Attack Ferry Passengers Trying To Make Coronavirus Curfew

2:50pm March 27, 2020

by Eyder Peralta

Dozens were injured in Mombasa as passengers surged toward the ferry and security forces dispersed them with teargas and force. The ferry was closing early and a huge crowd had built up at the dock.

A South African soldier enforces the lockdown order in downtown Johannesburg on Friday.

South Africa Reports First COVID-19 Deaths, Goes Into 3-Week Lockdown

9:02am March 27, 2020

by Scott Neuman

At midnight Thursday, security forces began enforcing the order against all but essential movement. Meanwhile, the health ministry reported two COVID-19 deaths among nearly 1,000 confirmed cases.

Still from a public safety video released by Bobi Wine, a Ugandan musician and politician.

Bobi Wine, Ugandan Pop Star And Political Opposition Leader, Shares Some Health Tips

12:51pm March 25, 2020

by Eyder Peralta

The politician and artist has some helpful, and optimistic, advice for anyone left wondering what to do.