Highlights

• Mauritania has officially confirmed 7 cases of imported COVID-19, two recoveries and one death.

• As of 9 April 2020, 1,256 people are in quarantine throughout the country. Two hundred fifty-eight tests have been carried out, of which seven were positive and 251 negatives.

• The helpline set up to provide information 24 hours/7 days treated more than 130,000 calls since 18 March 2020.

• The army started food distribution to vulnerable households in Nouakchott on 8 April 2020.

Situation Overview and Needs

The Islamic Republic of Mauritania registered its first confirmed case of COVID-19 on 13 March 2020. As of 9 April, seven confirmed cases were recorded, including two recoveries and one death. Case management is ongoing, and contacts are being traced for follow up. A simulation exercise was conducted in all the hospitals of the 12 regions of the country and Nouakchott. Awareness-raising on preventive measures for health personnel is ongoing in the interior of the country. The Government has received around 40,000 testing kits donated by the private sector and civil society.

Restrictive measures taken by the Government to prevent the transmission of the virus are still in place, i.e. schools closure until the end of April, travel bans and curfews, 21-day isolation of passengers who came with the last in-bound flights. Shops remain closed since 29 March, except for groceries and drugstores, and air traffic is still suspended except for UNHAS flights. Measures to mitigate the socio-economic impact of these decisions are being implemented, such as the exemption of 174,707 households from paying electricity bills for two months. On April 8, the army started food distribution to vulnerable households in Nouakchott. The distribution occurred after curfew with the support of the army to avoid gatherings.

The UNICEF response is aligned with the 2020 WHO global Strategic Response Plan (SRP), and the 2020 UNICEF COVID-2019 Humanitarian Action for Children appeal. Communication activities will be disseminated throughout the country to reach 4.1 million people, i.e. the country's total population. Specific response activities will target four regions (1.6 million children and women of childbearing age), in the following pillars aligned with the WHO country guidance and the national preparedness and response plan developed by the Government of Mauritania with support from development partners:

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