As the dreaded Coronavirus (Covid-19), spreads among countries globally, African nationals can breathe a sigh of relief as the disease is now known to thrive in winter season which is not common to most African countries.
According to buzz.travel, getting away from the cold is what the experts on coronavirus are recommending. Where in the world is summer right now?
“Coronaviruses tend to be associated with winter because of how they’re spread,” explains Elizabeth McGraw, who directs the Center for Infectious Disease Dynamics at Pennsylvania State University.
For one thing, in winter months, people may cluster together more indoors, increasing the number of folks at risk of becoming infected by someone who’s contagious.
It’s hot in Africa today, making it the only continent with not a single case or suspicion of coronavirus.
Although Egypt has recently announced it first case of the dreaded disease, but authorities in the North African country says the man has been placed under quarantine.
Why visit Africa? Africa may very well be the best choice when planning a holiday during the coronavirus season.
Authorities at gateway airports in Kenya, South Africa, Ethiopia, Egypt, Tunisia, Morocco or Ghana, Seychelles, Mauritius are well equipped to effectively monitor arriving visitors for the virus.
Special restrictions are in place for visitors arriving from certain countries to protect visitors and locals from the virus.
Perhaps there was never a better time to experience the magic of the pyramids, to go on the safari of your lifetime, get wet at Victoria Falls, climb Table Mountain or swim with the turtles in Seychelles.
There’s a seasonality to many viruses. Flu and cold viruses tend to peak in winter months, then die down with warmer weather. Of course, there’s the matter of transmission.
Viruses spread through respiratory droplets that are released when an infected person coughs or sneezes. And the droplets are more likely to spread under certain conditions. The droplets] are better at staying afloat when the air is cold and dry. When the air is humid and warm, they fall to the ground more quickly, and it makes transmission harder. A mask on the plane may not be a mistake after all.
“We’ve seen, basically, explosive spread inside China of person-to-person transmission, so — in that sense — it really is behaving like a common-cold causing coronavirus,” said Elizabeth McGraw.
So how safe is it to travel to Africa during coronavirus? The answer is to use common sense, study the numbers and enjoy a vacation of your lifetime. Africa will deliver a safe tourism experience like not many other destinations, also during coronavirus scares.
“Our African Sun will make you experience the magic of our continent and you will forget coronavirus and the rest of the planet,” says Ashura with a big smile. Ashura is a tour guide in Kenya hungry and ready for business.
Africa is also a travel bargain. Like the rest of the world, Africa can well compete with travel specials in place elsewhere during a season of crisis.
With the news, African countries oscillating on bringing their national from China may opt to ferry them back to the continent.
According to report, of the over 4,600 African students studying in Wuhan China’s Zhengzhou province, only two have been evacuated, to date. A joint press communiqué, states that the two students, from Seychelles, were transferred from Wuhan “with the assistance of the French authorities” on the 2nd of February. They are currently in quarantine in France, and will be released to Seychelles after a fourteen-day period of observation.
