The government of Senegal announced it is reopening its air borders starting July 15. “The reopening of air borders will take place from July 15, and international flights will resume according to a defined health protocol,” President Macky Sall said yesterday, 29 June, during his address to the nation on the situation of the coronavirus pandemic.

However, “land and sea borders remain closed until further notice,” he noted. The President also reported the lifting of the state of emergency and the curfew as of 11 p.m. today June 30. These had been decreed on 23 March, three weeks after the country recorded its first case of Covid-19 contamination.

For Macky Sall, the easing of restriction measures meets a vital need to allow the resumption of productive activities to fully get the economy back on track. “Just as we cannot let the virus take over our lives and our health, we cannot let it take over the life and health of our economy,” he said, calling for increased vigilance.

“By lifting the state of emergency, I also recall that the health emergency is still there and imposes on us a duty of vigilance, individual responsibility, and collective responsibility. The danger is still there, and we must continue the fight,” the President concludes.

Romuald Ngueyap