Lesotho Confirms First Case of the Coronavirus

Lesotho is the last African country on the continent to confirm the presence of the coronavirus, according to reports by Aljazeera. This past Wednesday, the Southern African country reported that of the 81 tests that have been conducted on travellers from South Africa and Saudi Arabia, one was positive. Lesotho is still awaiting the results of an additional 301 tests.

News of the outbreak comes at a politically uncertain time. Lesotho's Prime Minister Thomas Thabane is set to resign this week following the collapse of his coalition in parliament in addition to having been charged for the murder of his former wife almost three years ago.

Additionally, Basotho citizens who are currently stuck in South Africa are allegedly making dangerous border crossings in an effort to return home. However, the South African government has increased the presence of security forces at borders which we temporarily closed amid the national lockdown.

While the governments of numerous African countries have implemented national lockdowns as part of continued efforts to curb the spread of the outbreak, the likes of South Africa, Ghana, Nigeria and Zimbabwe have already begun easing restrictions.

The total number of coronavirus cases on the continent stands at 72 482 with at least 2494 reported deaths according to the BBC's Coronavirus in Africa tracker.