Maputo — Mozambican Health Minister Armindo Tiago announced in the northern city of Nampula on Thursday that drastic and strategic measures are being taken to hold back the spread of the Covid-19 respiratory disease in Nampula province.
Nampula is currently the second worst hit province in the country (behind Cabo Delgado), with 87 confirmed cases of Covid-19.
He said measures must be taken because the rapid spread of Covid-19 in the city is due to the failure by many Nampula citizens to observe the restrictive measures imposed by the government under the state of emergency, such as social distancing, the obligatory use of face masks, and the avoidance of all unnecessary travel.
He promised to step up Covid-19 testing in Nampula, to follow up the contacts of people already diagnosed as positive, and to improve "active surveillance" in the health units.
Tiago announced the immediate opening of a local isolation centre in Nampula city "where today (Thursday) two patients will be hospitalised, to guarantee that the cases found through active surveillance are isolated and under control".
