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Coronavirus: Italians expelled from Mauritania for trying to escape containment
The 15 tourists arrived in Nouakchott on February 29 for a trip that would take them to Atar (north), one of the most tourist regions of the country
franceinfo with AFP
France T?l?visions
Updated 03/05/2020 | 17:09
published on 03/05/2020 | 15:55
A group of Italian tourists has been expelled from Mauritania after trying to escape the confinement imposed against the new coronavirus. The 15 tourists had arrived in Nouakchott on February 29, 2020 for a trip which was to take them to Atar (north), one of the most tourist regions of the country, a spokesperson for the ministry told AFP. of Health, Abdelkader Ould Ahmed.
The Mauritanian authorities have decided to impose a period of confinement on travelers from countries considered at risk for the coronavirus, including Italy , which is among the countries most affected in the world by the epidemic.
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Containment
The tourists spent the night in a hotel in Nouakchott while waiting to be placed in confinement, the spokesman continued.
They made the mistake of trying to evade the conditions imposed by the Mauritanian health plan for the coronavirus by secretly leaving their hotel for Atar
Abdelkader Ould Ahmed, spokesperson for health ministry to AFP.
"The 15 were caught 90 km from Nouakchott and brought back to the airport, from where they were re-routed to their countries on Sunday via Morocco," he added, without giving further details. The Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that the 15 tourists had "all returned to Italy, assisted by our diplomatic network" .
The Mauritanian ministry spokesman said that the authorities applied the principle of zero risk and that these confinement rules applied to "all travelers from risk areas, without any distinction". "This rigor pays off" since no case has been detected so far, he added.
