Weekly Coronavirus round up, what is going on?
RegionWeek Newsletter Vol VI, Issue #197 | Friday, January 7th, 2022
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Dear Readers,
News from Kirundo province, northern Burundi, this week mentions that Rwandans continue to flee to Burundi in an attempt to escape compulsory vaccination underway in Rwanda. They say that their beliefs do not allow them to be vaccinated, screened. The governor of Kirundo decided on their repatriation to Rwanda. He ordered the competent authorities to no longer allow such individuals to cross the border and told the population that whoever takes the risk of harboring a person who has come under such conditions will be considered an enemy of the country.
Meanwhile, Uganda on Wednesday said all travelers using public transport are required to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination before being allowed to board vehicles.
Gen. Edward Katumba Wamala, minister of works and transport, told reporters that operators of public service vehicles must ask for vaccination cards from travelers. The move is a follow-up on a presidential directive that all travelers must show full proof of vaccination, the minister said.
President Yoweri Museveni made the directive on Dec. 31, when he fully opened the country's economy after some sectors had been closed for months due to the pandemic, Wamala said.
The Henley Passport Index, which regularly monitors the world’s most travel-friendly passports since 2006, in its final report of 2021, made a revelation that Kenyan passport holders cannot access 40 countries, a marginal drop from the 43 in October last year and 54 in July despite a massive vaccination campaign put up by Nairobi.
This has seen Kenyans remain locked out of dozens of destinations at a time nations are easing travel restrictions following increased Covid-19 vaccinations.
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Tanzania’s exports to other East African Community (EAC) countries increased by nearly 20 percent in 2020 - with economists associating the trend with a diversified economic structure during the Covid-19 pandemic, reports the Citizen.
The country’s exports to the region amounted to $811.2 million - up from $678.5 million in the previous year - while imports declined slightly, dropping to $326.7 million from $334.7 million.
Africa CDC says lockdowns no longer tool to contain coronavirus, reports Aljazeera. Africa’s top public health official has said severe lockdowns were no longer the best way to contain the virus, citing South Africa as an example. John Nkengasong, director of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), told a news conference that “the period where we are using severe lockdowns as a tool is over”.
Thanks for reading
Fabrice Iranzi, Editor in Chief | RegionWeek.com
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