An interview with Joel Akolly Eklou, Director of Marketing, Communication and Resource Mobilisation at Association Togolaise pour le Bien-Être Familial (ATBEF), on the impact of COVID-19 in Togo.

How badly has Togo been affected by the Coronavirus/COVID-19?

The first case was announced in Togo on March 6th, 2020 so it's still pretty recent. Officially, Togo has 12 confirmed cases of COVID-19. The country is in panic. Schools, universities and learning centres have been closed since yesterday and the land borders are now closed too. People’s habits are now beginning to change. On an economic level, food prices at the market level have started to rise, which is a negative consequence. For the moment, the country is not under lockdown, but the government has prevention rules that everyone must respect. In the market, traders are wearing masks or covering their faces. There is a big awareness campaign and currently a crisis unit is being set up with a mechanism for managing proven cases and suspected cases.