Burundi’s Minister of Public Health and the Fight Against AIDS, Thaddee Ndikumana, has announced the start of a second nationwide mass screening campaign of coronavirus (COVID-19).
The move comes amidst surging cases of coronavirus infections.
The 30-day campaign will kick-off in the commercial capital Bujumbura and several provinces where cases have been reported lately.
Ndikumana advised that more people should the pay attention to the campaign to know about their status at a launching event.
Since last week, 100 out of 5,300 people who had been in contact with the confirmed COVID-19 patients tested positive, Ndikumana said.
The people of Burundi and foreigners living in the country have been urged to respect hygiene measures of washing hands with soap, avoiding handshakes and hugs, and social distancing, he said
The campaign is part of the new measures announced by the government earlier on Friday to fight against the pandemic.
Other measures include closing all land and water borders, extending the quarantine period for travellers entering Burundi by air from three days to seven days and conducting two COVID-19 tests for them.
The first nationwide mass screening campaign started in July 2020 and lasted three months, which led to positive results according to the government of Burundi.
From March 2020 to date, the central African nation has recorded nearly 1,000 COVID-19 cases with two deaths.