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Mass gatherings have been banned in the Democratic Republic of Congo capital Kinshasa and three other areas to halt the spread of Ebola, Interior Minister Jacquemain Shabani said.
The current outbreak has so far been detected in three eastern provinces — Ituri, North Kivu and South Kivu — some 1,800 km from Kinshasa, but authorities fear it spreading to the city of 18 million people.
Three other provinces affected by the ban — Tshopo, Haut-Uele and Bas-Uele — border those where Ebola has been confirmed, the BBC reports.
Prominent opposition figures have criticized the order, alleging it was put in place to stifle a protest march scheduled for 8 July. Prince Epenge, spokesperson for the opposition Lamuka coalition, said the government’s decision was “political”, as no cases have been confirmed in Kinshasa. “It is not legitimate. We cannot accept this decision,” he told the BBC on Monday.
Rodrigue Ramazani, secretary-general of opposition party Envol, urged protesters to ignore the ban and attend the march, saying the directive “reeks of a political manoeuvre rather than a public health measure.”
DR Congo’s government has not responded to this criticism.
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The demonstration was organised by the C64 coalition, an alliance against a proposed law that, critics say, could see President Felix Tshisekedi stay in power beyond his two-term limit.
While no cases have yet been confirmed in Kinshasa, a doctor who tested positive for Ebola in France passed through the city as he returned home from one of the towns at the epicentre of the outbreak. The day after his test was made public, the Congolese government ordered a 21-day quarantine for travellers going from Ebola-affected areas to other parts of the country.
Mass gatherings have been banned in Ituri, North Kivu and South Kivu for weeks. Ituri is by far the worst affected, accounting for more than 90% of infections.
Shabani issued the directive on Saturday, when confirmed Ebola cases across the affected provinces jumped by 47, bringing the total to 1,274 infections and 360 known deaths, according to the health ministry.
Neighbouring Uganda has also confirmed Ebola cases. The World Health Organization says 20 people were known to have been infected there and two deaths have been confirmed.
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