BISSAU, May 11 (Xinhua) — The president of Guinea-Bissau Umaro Sissoco Embalo has decided to extend the state of emergency throughout the country until May 26, he announced on Monday in a presidential decree.
President Embalo said that the decision to extend the state of emergency came after analyzing the evolution of the COVID-19 situation in the country.
“We have seen that the number of coronavirus infections is increasing every day in the country,” he said, adding that “the current number of contamination is very high and the authorities are worried about this rapid spreading of virus”.
Embalo urged the health authorities to put in place an effective plan to limit the spread of the virus in the communities. In addition, he asked the government to reinforce the measures in place if necessary.
He also strongly recommended that people wear a mask in public spaces and in transport.
The state of emergency will be extended from zero o’clock on Tuesday, while the curfew between 5 p.m. and 6 a.m. will be maintained, and people are only allowed to leave their homes between 7 a.m. and 2 p.m. to go shopping.
In order to fight against the spread of the pandemic, the government of Guinea-Bissau has decided to maintain the restrictive measures that have already been in place, including the closing of borders, restaurants, bars, places of worships and schools, and banning gathering of people.
So far, Guinea-Bissau has 726 confirmed COVID-19 cases, including 26 cured and 3 deaths.
