Covid-19: Burundi suspends international flights "until further notice"

19 Avril 2020

Bujumbura, Burundi, April 19 (Infosplusgabon) - The Burundian ministry of transport announced Saturday the suspension of international commercial flights had been extended "until further notice".

This followed an assessment of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) epidemic and the number of people infected in the country which has been increasing since March 31.

From two officially declared cases, the virus has since jumped to six, including one death officially linked to complications related to "pathologies associated" with COVID-19.

It is in this context of the global health crisis from which Burundi cannot escape that the Ministry of Transport renewed the measure suspending commercial flights.

Cargo flights, ambulance evacuation flights, humanitarian action flights and diplomatic flights are exempted.

According to the ministry of health, the only authorized source, information related to COVID-19 is filtered to ascertain their veracity, one month from important electoral deadlines.

On Friday, the ministry of health issued a new press release which reiterated the call to people to remain "serene".

The next general election is the presidential election of May 20, in which more than five million Burundians of voting age are expected participate, according to analysts here.

The Burundian government does not plan to postpone the elections, anxious to turn the page on the controversial polls of 2015 that were characterised by mass violence.

Only the vote of the Burundian Diaspora has been cancelled due to the current health situation of the Coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19).

In the interior of the country, economic activities are proceeding normally, as markets, public transport, places of worship and leisure remain open to the public.

FIN/INFOSPLUSGABON/BRD/GABON2020

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