This week Mali, and Guinea Bissau confirmed their first cases of the coronavirus, leaving Sierra Leone as the only country in West Africa with no confirmed case.
As Cote d’Ivoire, Senegal, and Burkina Faso are recorded a spike in number of confirmed cases, their respective governments tightened measures to deal with the outbreak by imposing curfews.
In Ghana, the government resorted to a partial lockdown in two major cities to contain the virus spread.
With schools shutdown as part of the measures to contain the outbreak, Future Media Television (TFM) in Senegal developed programmes to help students learn while at home.
In a bid to improve the coverage on the outbreak and provide accurate information, media outlets across the region including Seneweb in Senegal and JoyOnline in Ghana dedicated sections on their websites to provide updates on Covid-19.
On a sad note, a journalist in Togo died from the virus, and a journalist in Burkina Faso contracted the disease. Amidst these developments the Burkinabe Journalists Association (AJB) called for better protection for media professionals. In Ghana, a reporter who was in contact with some officials who tested positive to the virus was directed to self-quarantine. Amidst these developments the Burkinabe Journalists Association (AJB) called for better protection for media professionals in the fight against the coronavirus.
Read more on safety advisory for journalists in covering Covid-19 and how to protect your digital security amidst the coronavirus pandemic.