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Authorities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo said the coronavirus epidemic had eased in many parts of the country but remained worrying in the economic capital of Lubumbashi where not wearing a mask will now be punishable by up to seven days in jail.
Health minister Jean-Jacques Mbungani said there had been “a marked drop in Covid-19 cases across the country,” according to a statement released by the prime minister’s office. In Kinshasa, the situation was particularly hopeful.
The third wave is steadily decreasing and we can say that it is behind us.
But we must be vigilant, continue to wear the mask properly and get vaccinated when the country has received the vaccines we are expecting.
When the Great Plague struck Marseille in 1720, killing more than half of the city’s population, travellers were ordered to carry a “bill of health” and ships arriving at the Mediterranean port underwent a 40-day cordon sanitaire or quarantine. As a gateway for trade, the city authorities struggled to find a delicate balance between halting the spread of the disease and damaging vital commerce.
Three hundred years on, President Emmanuel Macron is walking an equally tricky tightrope just eight months before he seeks re-election in April 2022. And unlike the ancient Marseillais, Macron has to answer to social media.
It’s about citizenship. Freedom only exists if the freedom of everyone is protected… it’s worth nothing if by exercising our freedom we contaminate our brother, neighbour, friend, parents, or someone we have come across at an event. Then freedom becomes irresponsibility.
Related: Macron tells critics: vaccine passport will protect all our freedoms
