DR Congo to put virus epicentre under lockdown

One suburb of the Democratic Republic of Congo’s capital, Kinshasa, will be put into a two-week lockdown starting from Monday.

The area is Gombe and is deemed to be country’s coronavirus epicentre and is where many expatriates in the city live.

Only health workers will be allowed to move. Essential state-run firms and some private businesses will also be allowed to operate during the lockdown.

Kinshasa's Governor Gentini Ngobila made the announcement on Thursday evening.

Last week, he reversed his decision to put Kinshasa under a complete lockdown fearing a rise in insecurity and a hike in the prices of basic commodities.

Many residents in the capital think that a lockdown on only one out of 24 municipalities is insufficient to curb the spread of the virus.

The country has reported 134 coronavirus cases to date, including 13 deaths.