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WORLD NEWS Monday 16 March 2020

A woman covers her face with a Brazilian flag during rally sup-
porting Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro on Copacabana beach,
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Sunday, March 15, 2020.
Associated Press

Bolsonaro backers

defy health warnings Volunteers, left, provide soap and water for participants to wash their hands against the new coro-

to stage rallies navirus at a women's 5km fun run in the capital Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Sunday, March 15, 2020.
Associated Press

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Live transmission. Several African nations roll
Thousands of Brazilians ig- "With everything against it
nored warnings to avoid — the press, the virus, the
mass gatherings and recommendations — the out measures to fight virus
staged demonstrations in people took to the streets.
favor of President Jair Bol- This is spontaneous," the
sonaro and against his an- president said. By MOGOMOTSI MAGOME the impact on the health have cases of coronavirus,
tagonists in Congress and Many of the protesters in JOHANNESBURG (AP) — of South Africans and our saying only Kenyan citizens
the Supreme Court on Sun- Rio de Janeiro wore medi- Several African countries economy," said Ramapho- and those with residence
day. cal masks while carrying have announced sweep- sa, announcing a ban on permits would be permit-
Bolsonaro himself had placards supporting the ing restrictions to try to con- the arrival of travelers from ted to enter, but would
urged supporters to skip the president. tain the steady spread of countries with the disease have to self-quarantine for
demonstrations, which had "The corruption kills a lot the coronavirus, which has including China, Iran, South two weeks. He also said
been announced weeks more than the virus," said reached at least 25 of Af- Korea, Italy, Spain, the Unit- all schools in Kenya would
ago, due to the spread of Alisson de Oliveira, 42, rica's 54 countries. ed States and Britain. close for three weeks.
the new coronavirus. But though he acknowledged South Africa, Kenya, Sen- Ramaphosa said all schools Senegal and Mauritania
he apparently changed his he was worried by the ill- egal and Mauritania are will be closed for 30 days have also announced
mind Sunday morning, join- ness. The demonstrations among the countries that from Wednesday and he the immediate closure of
ing a rally in the capital of occurred at a time when have imposed travel restric- banned all public gather- schools for three weeks.
Brasilia where he shot self- Bolsonaro is battling with tions and closed schools. ings of more than 100 peo- Senegal is also banning
ies and shook hands with parts of Congress over the South African President ple. South Africa will close all public gatherings for a
demonstrators. federal budget. Cyril Ramaphosa declared 35 of its 53 land borders month and banned cruise
Bolsonaro's office an- So far, Brazil has confirmed a national state of disaster. and will intensify screening ships from docking in Sene-
nounced on Thursday that more than 170 cases of the "This is a grave emergency at its international airports. gal, and suspended Muslim
tests showed him free of new coronavirus. and given the scale and The decline in international and Christian pilgrimages.
the new virus despite the Authorities in Rio and Sao speed of its spread, no trade and tourism has al- Morroco has suspended
fact his chief spokesman Paulo on Friday banned country is immune," said ready negatively affected flight connections and
and other aides have test- mass gatherings and Ramaphosa, addressing South Africa's economy, closed borders with all
ed positive following a visit Rio's governor said police the nation Sunday night. which he said is about to European countries and
to Washington, where they would even restrict ac- He said the country has 61 experience demands in many other countries in Af-
met U.S. President Donald cess to beaches, though cases, including local trans- expenditure for increased rica and the Middle East.
Trump. they merely looked on mission of COVID-19, and health measures. Also on Sunday, Ethiopia
"This is priceless, what the as Friday's demonstration he expected the number Kenya's President Uhuru Ke- reported that it has three
people are doing in spite of occurred and thousands to increase dramatically nyatta announced restric- cases of COVID-19 and
my recommendation," Bol- sunned themselves on Co- "We must take urgent and tions preventing travelers the Republic of Congo an-
sonaro said in a Facebook pacabana beach.q drastic measures to reduce coming from countries that nounced its first case.q