COVID Update: Benin
Coronavirus, COVID-19, hand sanitizers, self-quarantine, mandatory quarantine, asymptomatic, face masks, PPEs, ventilators, lockdown, social distancing etc. are some new words that have entered our vocabulary since the beginning of 2020. The pronunciation of some of these words are very difficult for the illiterate, and several versions of deformed pronunciations have appeared alongside the proper ones. These wrong pronunciations often bring a lot of laughter, but we do not miss the seriousness of the situation.
The beginning of March 2020 saw the arrival of the coronavirus to West Africa. When the pandemic first broke in China, those of us in Africa ‘knew’ it was going to be limited to that specific area of the world. I myself was traveling all over Africa in the first quarter of the year—I traveled to South Africa, Uganda, Benin, Togo, Gabon, and the Congo Democratic Republic on the Lord’s mission.
My wife and I flew out of Accra, Ghana to Kinshasa, the capital of the Congo Democratic Republic on March 10th for a two-week period to go teach at a Bible college there. Unfortunately, we had to cut our trip short and return to Accra on March 17th in a big hurry before all the airports were shut down. Fortunately for us, we arrived in Accra before all flights into and out of the country were suspended on March 19th, which is when the mandatory quarantine was imposed on all arriving travelers.
In the month of March, all the infections were brought in by those traveling into the West African regions from China, Europe, and the USA. The first option was the immediate closure of all airports and land borders. By the middle of March, travel restrictions became the norm all over West Africa. Hundreds of travelers were locked behind the borders and could not enter their own countries. Those who came by air on and after March 19th were put in mandatory quarantines for 14 days. Those who tested negative after two tests were released to go home. Those infected were kept for treatment.
Very soon, community contaminations began. West African nations did not all adopt a ‘one-style-fits-all’ method. Ghana and Nigeria adopted a total lockdown in their virus hot spots—Accra and Kumasi in Ghana and Lagos and Abuja in Nigeria—which are the two most heavily populated areas in those nations. In Ghana, the lockdown was quickly lifted after two weeks when the president realized that the cure was becoming more deadly than the virus.
Some countries adopted nighttime and daytime curfews, where no movement was allowed during certain times of the day. Schools, mosques, and churches were all closed. The number of people who attended funerals was limited to 25 only. In some countries where the whole country was not locked down, they put in place a health corridor in the infected areas where no one could enter or leave. Some governments adopted a limited lockdown, where public transport vehicles were banned but people were able to move and go to work within the lockdown zones. Regions with no known infections were free to go about their normal lives.
However, a lockdown in West Africa is a call for an economic disaster. While the nations in the Western world that initiated the total lockdown (that we the Africans copied) live from paycheck to paycheck, we live from hand to mouth. Some of our governments realized it was not only an economic disaster but also a humanitarian one. One week into the lockdown, people were lining up in the streets for food from the government and humanitarian institutions. The situation was so chaotic because very few could stock food. Hunger is more of a problem for some in the Sahelian [between the Sahara desert and the Sudanese savanna] nations than the coronavirus.
People cannot go farm or do the business they need for survival. The police and the army are often called in to control the crowds. Even drinking water in some places has become a big issue. The social distancing rules are often thrown out the window as people struggle to get cooked food and bottled water.
Another problem has arisen with the local open-air markets, where the traders stand in stalls elbow to elbow with the buyers, who are also standing elbow to elbow. To observe the social distancing rules, many are hindered from going into these over-crowded markets to sell and thereby earn some income.
The communal living areas (slums) are also not faring well. This has led the ‘experts’ to pronounce a message of impending doom for West Africa when the coronavirus infection first hit the continent. It was predicted that thousands will die.
When the lockdown began in the middle of March in most West African nations, churches were not allowed to open. Brethren resorted to meeting in small groups and in the homes of members. Churches in the cities quickly adopted social media platforms to keep the faith of the members alive. Those who can afford the stiff fees to preach on radio and TV adopted those so that their members could worship at home and enjoy the sermon on radio or TV.
Some show live Facebook coverage of their indoor meetings. A big factor that will affect the churches is the financial impact. Though some churches have announced that the members should send their giving using the mobile money transfer platforms, things are hard on the churches financially. Lots of people have lost their jobs or are not being paid for work they’ve done. I have been receiving calls from all over the place for relief assistance.
The One Kingdom (World Radio) brethren who preach on the radio continued to preach, but have to change their jingles. They cannot invite people to come join them in worship at the church building which is a part of the jingle. These preachers go to the radio station wearing face masks. Fortunately, I have seen pictures of baptisms and Bible distributions during the pandemic. The faith of the African brethren has not been affected by the closure of the church meeting places. I have seen slogans on the social media platforms saying, “The church cannot be closed down, but the meeting place can.”
In Benin, the radio preachers are using their broadcast time to advise the public to observe the rules of hygiene, regular hand washing, the best way to wear a mask, and—especially—to stay at home if necessary to stay safe.
At the date of writing this report (May 23, 2020), the number of people infected in Africa is 108,875 with 41,576 recoveries and 3,184 deaths. Sadly, we are bracing for a spike, because the numbers keep going up daily unless God intervenes. Christians have organized hundreds of days of prayers and fasting. Even national days of prayer and fasting were held in Ghana.
God is in control. He is working overtime on behalf of us Africans, because we don’t have the necessary health facilities should this virus get out of control.
Keep us in your prayers,
George Akpabli