Five new COVID-19 cases were reported in Senegal on Wednesday, bringing the country’s total to 36, according to the Ministry of Health and Social Action.

Three of the five confirmed cases are imported cases while two belong to local transmission, infected by patients tested positive on March 11 and 17.

In order to protect the privacy of the patients and avoid stigma on certain foreign nationalities, the ministry decided not to give further details on confirmed COVID-19 patients.

Senegal will suspend on midnight Wednesday all passenger flights to and from Europe and North Africa for a period of 30 days, Minister of Air Transport and Tourism Alioune Sarr announced Monday.

During a daily press briefing on the COVID-19 pandemic, Sarr said the decision to suspend flights from France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Belgium, Tunisia and Algeria is to contain the spread of COVID-19 in Senegal.

Among the 36 cases, 15 are imported cases, and the others are cases of local transmission. Two patients have been cured by local health authorities. Enditem