Conflict-ridden Guinea in uphill struggle against coronavirus

CONAKRY: Far from pulling together in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, Guineans remain embittered by a deadly, months-long political crisis, hampering efforts to contain the virus in the poor West African state.

“The government banning something is all it takes for the people to reject it,” said Hamidou Traore, a doctor at the capital Conakry´s biggest hospital.

Mass demonstrations broke out in Guinea last October over suspicions that President Alpha Conde was planning constitutional changes that would allow him to extend his long rule.Dozens were killed, and deep distrust in the government persists.

Guinea, one of the world´s poorest countries, is among the hardest hit in the region by the pandemic, which has so far infected some 1,500 and killed seven.The former French colony can little afford the political malaise in addition to a sorely deficient health system, with Guinea´s main hospital, under renovation for the past four years, having to reopen suddenly at the onset of the pandemic.

And yet Guinea has first-hand experience with infectious diseases, having been ravaged by Ebola between late 2013 and 2016. More than 2,500 people died of the hemorrhagic fever.