COVID-19: Gambia, Senegal to close border for 21 days

ANKARA (AA) - The Gambia and neighboring Senegal have decided to close their shared border as part of measures to stem the spread of the coronavirus, local media reported on Monday.

According to news website The Point, the border will be closed for 21 days starting Monday midnight.

The report said the decision was taken after consultations between the Gambian and Senegalese governments.

The measure will not affect “essential services” such as movements of security and medical personnel, and transportation of food and medical supplies between the two countries.

Gambian President Adama Barrow also approved the closure of the country’s airspace for all flights except medical and cargo flights, the website reported.

The airspace will be closed for 21 days starting Monday midnight.

The move comes after The Gambia confirmed its first death due to the coronavirus disease COVID-19 on Sunday night.

In a tweet, the Health Ministry said the victim as a 70-year-old man from Bangladesh, who entered the country from Senegal on March 13.

The Gambia has two and Senegal has 67 confirmed coronavirus cases, according to data provided by the U.S.-based Johns Hopkins University.

The data shows there have been over 351,700 cases and 15,300 deaths worldwide since the virus emerged in Wuhan, China, last December.

More than 100,400 people have also recovered after contracting COVID-19.

The virus has spread to at least 167 countries and regions, and the outbreak has been declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization.