Afrogalaxy

2-3 minutes
Congolese music legend Aurlus Mabele has died in Paris of the coronavirus, his family and friends said Friday.
“My father died this morning from the coronavirus, please honour his memory,” his daughter rapper Liza Monet, said on Twitter. Claudy Siar, the presenter of Radio France International’s “Couleurs Tropicales” Afro music programme, also paid tribute to the 67-year-old singer known as the “King of Soukous”, a high-tempo modern variant of Congolese rumba.
His former bandmate Mav Cacharel also mourned his loss on Facebook, paying tribute to a man who sold more than 10 million records and had a huge following across Africa. It is understood the singer died on Thursday shortly after being admitted to hospital.
Born Aurelien Miatsonama, Mabele grew up in the Poto-Poto neighbourhood of Brazzaville, and broke through in the 1980s with Loketo, a group founded by guitarist Diblo Dibala whose name means “hips” in Lingala. In the 1990s, Mabele brought a Caribbean touch to the music which relied heavily on beat boxes and synthesisers, and won a fanbase in the French West Indies like the older Congolese group, Les Bantous de la Capitale. The musician had been in fragile health for more than 15 years, and had previously suffered a stroke. His last album, “Ca va se savoir” (“It Will be Known”), was released in 2004.
Mabele’s death comes as Afro jazz star Manu Dibango is also being treated for coronavirus in a French hospital. The 86-year-old Cameroonian legend, best known for the 1972 global hit “Soul Makossa”, is “resting well and calmly recovering”, according to a statement on his Facebook page. Dibango was an influence on a huge array of artists, including the “king of pop”, Michael Jackson. In fact Dibango accused Jackson of borrowing one of his hooks for two songs on his legendary “Thriller” album. Jackson later settled out of court.
[AFP]

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2 minutes

“Hospitals now receiving patients suffering from Chloroquine Poisoning, says Gov @jidesanwoolu’s SSA on Health, Dr @Oreoluwa_Finnih. She urged people against massive consumption of Chloroquine as a measure to fight #Coronavirus,” he tweeted.

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3 minutes
Several Nigerians have taken to social media to blast the Nigerian president, Muhammadu Buhari for his 'shocking' refusal to address Nigerians on the COVID-19 pandemic.
Unlike his counterparts in various parts of the world, President Buhari has refused to speak on the matter at all.
The Senate had last week asked the president to address Nigerians..

The Presidency bowed to pressure on Thursday with one of the President’s spokesmen, Garba Shehu, issuing a statement advising Nigerians to observe personal hygiene.
Shehu also lambasted the Senate for asking the President to do a television broadcast, describing it as cheap politics.
On Friday, the President, through his official Twitter handle, sent out a message of encouragement to Nigerians.
He tweeted, “Protecting Nigerians from the coronavirus is a key priority for us as a government. We have the Ministry of Health and the Nigeria Center for Disease Control working round-the-clock with several other agencies, as well as state governments, to ensure this.

“I have absolute confidence in the relevant ministers in the cabinet, the Presidential Task Force on coronavirus which I recently established, and the officials of the NCDC who are all providing constant updates and professional counsel.”
However, the tweets were met with cynicism and criticism.
The critics stated that a television broadcast would send a better message than tweets which are directed at the President’s two million followers.
Responding to one of the President’s tweets, a former Chairman, National Human Rights Commission, Prof. Chidi Odinkalu, wrote, “Faceless ghosts hide behind hand-held and credit someone else with words.
“They forget that, actually, communication has DNA. It’s easy to know this is not from @MBuhari. It’s not his syntax or sentence DNA. It’s not difficult to figure out who wrote this, is it?”
“You have only 2.6m followers on Twitter. Go on-air and speak to your 180million citizens,” @KingCossy1 tweeted.
@Zuchradio also tweeted, “Buhari, if there wasn’t social media, wouldn’t you communicate with the people you govern? I see no reason for tweeting instead of a live broadcast.”

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3-4 minutes
The two remaining international airports in Lagos and Abuja will eventually be closed to flight operations as part of preventive measures against the coronavirus pandemic, the Federal Government has declared.
The Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 on Friday announced shut down of the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano; Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu and the Port-Harcourt International Airport, Omagwa from 12am on Saturday.

Minister of Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika, announced this to State House correspondents after briefing President Muhammadu Buhari on the measures put in place for the enforcement of the March 21 travel restriction on flights and citizens of high risk countries from entering Nigeria.
The Minister said the Murtala Muhammadu International Airport, Lagos and the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, would also be closed.
Fielding question on why the Abuja and Lagos international airports that have the highest number of flights were not mentioned among the closed airports, he said that the closure of airports was a gradual process.
He said: ” Well I think differently, this is my individual perspective. At some points these airports must be closed, this is my opinion. But like I said there is Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 to which I am a member.
“But certainly and definitely at some point, these airports must be closed (Abuja and Lagos), all of them in Nigerian will be closed. I think it is the safest thing to do because these things, they multiply exponentially.
” But for a better brief I think we have the forum, the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, they will come up with a statement.
“But I can guarantee you that sooner than later the airports will be be closed. We would close down these airports and we would issue the necessary notices to airmen as to what time they would be closed.
” I think it will be very soon. It is better safe than sorry and I think in my opinion, this is my personal opinion, if you want to catch a fish empty the water.”
On the aircraft that brought the daughter of President Buhari from the United Kingdom, who is now on self isolation, he said that the Presidential Task Force was tackling the flights that came into the country from the high risk countries.
He said: “The task force set up by Mr. President is actively tracking that and we make sure that any traveler that comes in, any flight that informs us we will follow each and every individual to further follow development on that individual.”

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2 minutes
Italy on Friday reported a record 627 new deaths from the novel coronavirus and saw its world-leading toll surpass 4,000 despite government efforts to stem the pandemic’s spread.
The Mediterranean country’s daily death rate is now higher than that officially reported by China at the peak of its outbreak around Wuhan’s Hubei province.
Italy’s previous one-day record death toll was 475 on Wednesday.
Italy has seen more than 1,500 fatalities from COVID-19 in the past three days alone.
It has now recorded the five highest one-day tolls officially registered around the world.
Italy’s total number of deaths now stands and 4,032. Infections rose by nearly 6,000 to 47,021.
The nation of 60 million currently accounts for 36.6 percent of the world’s coronavirus deaths.
“There are so many people walking around who have the virus and who are at risk of infecting others,” Matteo Bassetti, the director of the infectious diseases department at Genoa’s San Martino clinic, told Italy’s AGI news agency.
“The 40,000 cases we are talking about could actually be 100 times higher.”
The Italian government intends to extend a ban on public gatherings and the shutdown of almost all businesses past their March 25 deadline.
Regional leaders and city mayors are urging the Italian government to adopt even tougher restrictions such as a ban on outdoor exercises and the closure of all stores on Sundays.
AFP

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4-5 minutes
New York, the Big Apple City, has joined California in imposing tough new restrictions, limiting the activity of 60 million people in the two states to curb the spread of the coronavirus.
Only essential workers are allowed to leave their homes.
In announcing Friday’s action, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo pleaded for more medical personnel and supplies to treat coronavirus cases that could overwhelm the hospitals in his state of nearly 20 million.

“This is the most drastic action we can take,” New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said in announcing he would issue an executive order to mandate that 100% of the non-essential workforce stay home and all non-essential businesses close.
“Remain indoors, go outside for solitary exercise,” he said.
In Berkeley, California, many more people were out walking their dogs, running and biking than on a usual weekday morning, with pedestrians avoiding passing one another on the narrow sidewalks by veering onto the nearly empty street.
The California health orders on the state’s 40 million people, imposed on Thursday, also allow for outside exercise as long as people stay six feet (two meters) apart.
More than 1,000 cases have been confirmed in California, where 19 people have died.
The New York state order would be enforced with civil fines and mandatory closures for any businesses not in compliance, he said. Cuomo said it was not a “shelter in place” order and neither was California’s.
Cuomo said essential services included food suppliers to grocery stores, pharmacies that needs drugs, keeping the internet working, and water and electricity supplies.
New York has 7,102 confirmed cases, 2,950 of which are new. The hospitalization rate is 18%. Of the state’s cases, 4,408 are in New York City, the most populous U.S. city with about 8.5 million people.
Cuomo pleaded for the manufacture of ventilators and protective masks for an expected surge in cases.
“The ventilators are to this war what missiles were to World War Two,” Cuomo said. He said the state would “pay a premium” to companies that could provide more personal protective equipment, gloves and masks, and he asked companies that might be capable of making these products to “get creative.”
More than 200 people have died in the United States and over 14,600 cases had been confirmed by Friday, the surge in cases reflecting an increase in testing. Health experts believe the actual number of COVID-19 cases to be far higher.
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration said it had temporarily closed the air traffic control tower at John F. Kennedy Airport in New York because a technician had tested positive and controllers would work at an alternate location on airport property.
Part of the Indianapolis Air Route Traffic Control Center was closed for cleaning after new cases of COVID-19 were reported.
Psychologists and psychiatrists are beginning to report signs of distress among patients worried about the consequences.
Six clinicians interviewed by Reuters say the coronavirus has been the prime focus of virtually all recent therapy sessions.
Chicagoan Mike Wisler was prescribed a sedative to help him sleep when the financial and emotional impact of the pandemic hit the 50-year-old bartender. “My mind won’t shut off,” Wisler said. “As soon as I wake up, it’s like, ‘How am I going to get by this month?’”
The Trump administration announced moves to give relief to workers and students.
The U.S. government was moving its tax filing day to July 15 from April 15, Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin said. The administration temporarily suspended interest and payments on federal student loans for at least the next 60 days.
Meanwhile, the U.S. unemployment benefits program, part of the safety net for the labor market, is about to face its biggest test in more than a decade.
More than 1.5 million applications could be filed this week, economists said, as people who work for restaurants, bars, hotels and other businesses suddenly find themselves out of work.

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3-4 minutes
The World Health Organisation (WHO) says young people are not invincible to COVID-19, as data from countries show that people under 50 years old make up a significant proportion of patients requiring hospitalisation. Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, at a media briefing on Friday, said the organisation had discovered that though older people were the hardest hit, younger people were, however, not spared from the virus. “Today, I have a message for young people; you are not invincible.
This Coronavirus could put you in hospital for weeks, or even kill you. “Even if you don’t get sick, the choices you make about where you go could be the difference between life and death for someone else.
“I’m grateful that so many young people are spreading the word and not the virus. “Solidarity is the key to defeating COVID-19, solidarity among countries, but also between age groups. Thank you for heeding our call for solidarity,” Ghebreyesus said. He noted that daily, COVID-19 seems to reach a new and tragic milestone, saying more than 210,000 cases have now been reported to WHO, and more than 9,000 people have lost their lives.
“Every loss of life is a tragedy. It’s also motivation to double down and do everything we can to stop transmission and save lives. “Yesterday, Wuhan, China, reported no new cases for the first time since the COVID-19 outbreak started. “Wuhan provides hope for the rest of the world, that even the most severe situation can be turned around,” he said.
Ghebreyesus, however, called for caution, saying that the situation could be reversed. He added that the experience of cities and countries that have pushed back COVID-19 give hope and courage to the rest of the world. The director-general noted that the collapsed of the market for personal protective equipment had created extreme difficulties in ensuring that health workers have access to the equipment they need to do their jobs safely and effectively.
“This is an area of key concern for us. We have now identified some producers in China who have agreed to supply WHO. “We’re currently finalising the arrangements and coordinating shipments so we can refill our warehouse to ship personal protective equipment to whoever needs it most.
“Our aim is to build a pipeline to ensure continuity of supply, with support from our partners, governments and the private sector,” Ghebreyesus said. He expressed his gratitude to Jack Ma and his foundation, as well as Aliko Dangote, for their willingness to help provide essential supplies to the countries in need. Ghebreyesus said that WHO was working actively to support all countries, and especially those that needs its support the most. (NAN)

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2-3 minutes
Recall that Buhari had yesterday urged Nigerians not to panic but to take precaution, following the outbreak of Coronavirus in the country.

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3 minutes

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The Nigerian Medical Association has directed all its members currently on strike to suspend their action as part of efforts to tackle the Coronavirus pandemic in the country.
The association’s president, Dr Francis Faduyile, gave the directive at a news conference on Friday in Abuja.
Faduyile said that the directive was one of the NMA’s guidelines towards the management of the COVID-19.
He said, “We direct all state branches of NMA to set up a five-man committee of health professionals including doctors, pharmacists, and nurses to monitor the level of preparedness and management of our hospitals.

“This committee should interact with the different committees set up by their respective state governors and FCT Minister.
“In line with the above, we direct all medical associations that have declared strikes against their management to suspend all actions as the national NMA shall take over the disputes and interact with the different organs/agencies of government.
“In this regard, the Association of Resident Doctors of FCTA, Gombe, ESUT-Parklane and Kaduna as well as NMA Cross Rivers are directed to report back to work and treat Nigerians.
“This gesture is geared towards treating fellow Nigerians notwithstanding the inhuman treatment meted on our members nationwide.”

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