COVID-19: President of Senegal welcomes King Mohammed VI’s initiative to adopt unified response in Africa
Senegalese President Macky Sall has expressed gratitude and appreciation for King Mohammed VI, who called Monday for a unified and concerted response to COVID-19 pandemic in Africa.
King Mohammed VI of Morocco suggested in phone talks with President Alassane Dramane Ouattara of Côte d’Ivoire and President Macky Sall of Senegal the setting up of an initiative by African heads of state to elaborate an operational framework to help African countries manage the coronavirus pandemic.
President Macky Sall expressed his will to work to ensure the success of the royal initiative meant to mitigate COVID-19’s impact on the continent.
The Senegalese head of state expressed thanks to the Monarch for the “propitious initiative” and expressed his determination to work for the success of the process, the Senegalese president’s office said in a statement.
The royal initiative will shortly be discussed at a video conference between the heads of state and government of the countries concerned, the statement said.
The initiative put forward by the King aims at facilitating joint action by African countries, at sharing experience and best practices in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic, and at bolstering cooperation to mitigate the health, economic and social impacts of the pandemic in the continent.
The pandemic is expanding in Africa at an alarming rate, with confirmed cases exceeding 16,000 and over 800 deaths, prompting the World Health Organization and scientists to warn that the continent may become the world’s new epicenter.
In Morocco, at the instructions of King Mohammed VI, the Government took a package of preventive measures to mitigate the health, economic and social impact of the COVID-19 crisis in the country.
The Kingdom now seeks to share these measures, which were hailed worldwide as successful, with the continent to contain the virus and protect Africans.
Morocco confirmed 1,838 COVID-19 cases as of 10 a.m. on April 14, including 201 recoveries and 126 deaths.
