AFRICA’S GOVERNANCE RESPONSE TO COVID-19 | PRELIMINARY REPORT 2020 2.2 Disease Prevention and Containment Measures Preventive and containment measures have included total or partial lockdowns, which have either been applied to entire countries or only parts thereof. The duration of these lockdowns also varies, and ranges from ten days (in Libya, for example) to indefinite (in South Africa, for example, although here the government periodically scales down the applicable preventive and containment measures). These lockdowns entail the closure of schools, the banning of public gatherings (including religious gatherings in most cases, Tanzania being an exception), and restrictions of movement and the closure of all businesses, save for providers of what the government declares to be “essential services,” which have included critical workers, transport services, essential food and medicine production and retail operations, health workers, and those who maintain key infrastructure such as power, water and sanitation. Some countries have also established thresholds for public gatherings. In Zambia, for example, a meeting of less than 50 people is not considered a public gathering. preventive and containment measures also entail dusk-to-dawn curfews, which again are either imposed nation-wide or only in regions or localities considered to be most affected. Countries such as Algeria have imposed total lockdowns in their most affected areas or provinces, while permitting free movement in other areas. Conversely, countries such as Egypt and Ethiopia have imposed nationwide curfews. Unlike most countries, Tanzania has imposed the least restrictions on its citizens. Here, government and private enterprises continue to operate normally. Invariably, the prevention and containment measures have either been preceded, or accompanied, by declarations of national states of emergency (or national disaster, as in the case of Malawi and South Africa, or national alarm as in the case of Equatorial Guinea). The result is that most countries are under both states of emergency and lockdowns. Countries have also closed their borders, particularly with a view to reducing their exposure from high risk countries. In addition, countries such as Uganda have suspended refugee reception services. It should also be noted that what amounts to essential services may vary from country to country. In some countries, such as Egypt and Kenya, the 35