DR Congo imposes curfew to curb coronavirus

The government in the Democratic Republic of Congo has announced that a curfew will be imposed from 21:00 to 05:00 after a spike in cases of coronavirus.

The restriction will start on Friday.

DR Congo’s Communication Minister Jolino Makelele announced this among new measures, including schools closing earlier for the Christmas holidays, a ban on ceremonies before burials and a ban on public gatherings of more than 10 people.

The Central African country has seen a spike in number of newly contaminated cases since the beginning of December, with an average of 100 new cases daily in the capital, Kinshasa, the epicentre of the pandemic.

The Health Ministry announced on Wednesday that a record of 345 people had tested positive the previous day.

More than 14,000 people have tested positive for coronavirus and more than 350 of those have died in the country since the pandemic began.