Namibia is concerned about the outbreak of Covid-19, although the African nation is sparsely populated, 12,000 km from China and no one has been infected yet.

Like many other countries in the region, Namibia attracts many Chinese investors. As the fear of nCoV increased, businesses here decided to take action to prevent the disease from spreading to the African nation.

The sign in Chinese and English hangs outside a shop in Chinatown, the capital Windhoek states: "Any merchant returning from China must be isolated for 14 days and close the store during that period." The bottom is signed by the neighborhood management.

Many Chinese shop owners in Windhoek came to their hometowns at the end of the year to spend the Lunar New Year. After the outbreak of Covid-19, many people chose to stay in China instead of going back to Chinatown, a large complex with nearly 200 retail stores, wholesale of food and electronics items, located in industrial park north of Namibia.

About 20 of the 90 stores in Chinatown, Windhoek, have not yet reopened. The Chinese community, the Chinese embassy in Namibia and the Chinese Chamber of Commerce "are doing their best" to prevent them from returning to Namibia during this period, said businessman Brian Lee.

Lee told those who had been to China to return to Namibia, the government would set up a quarantine area on the outskirts of the capital Windhoek until it was certain they did not have Covid-19. No one has been placed in these quarantine areas.

"I think everyone is bewildered, not just Namibians but also the Chinese community," Lee said, adding that the Chinatown is normally crowded with people shopping, but the weekend was quite deserted.

Miang Li, owner of a clothing store in Chinatown, explained that everyone was afraid of catching a virus originating in China. "Many people come here screaming: corona virus, corona virus," he said, adding that the stock is running out because the owners are not returning to China to import new goods, instead of selling second-hand goods at preferential prices.

"Many of us returned to China in February or March, but now it is dangerous to return to Namibia," said trader Li. "If the time comes, it is not known if Namibia will allow us to return again."

Chinatown neighborhoods often cater to retail customers, but also wholesale to online stores or to other parts of Namibia. "Customers from Walvis Bay, Swakopmund and Oshakati are not currently importing because we have only old stock," said Li, a 52-year-old trader with nine years of business in Namibia. Some Namibian employees do not want to continue working for Chinese employers.

Matilda Ndinoshisho, 28, a Chinatown salesman, said one of her colleagues had quit her job because she was worried about nCoV. "Her uncle and aunt said that the Chinese bosses would infect her with a virus that killed a lot of Chinese people and the $ 54 salary was not worth losing their lives or sick to the whole family," Ndinoshisho said. .

Namibia currently has only one case of suspected nCoV infection, but has been confirmed negative. Namibia Health Minister Kalumbi Shangula said the government has tightened health checks at all entry points into the country.

"Every visitor to Namibia from China or any other country in the world must be thoroughly checked," said Minister Shangula. "Anyone who has symptoms of nCoV infection will be quarantined immediately and monitored."

The Covid-19 epidemic broke out in Wuhan, China in December 2019, so far, it has appeared in 27 countries and territories. The epidemic caused 1,873 deaths, 73,332 cases, of which 12,712 were cured.

Africa recorded the first case of corona virus infection after the Egyptian Ministry of Health on Monday said a person in the country was positive for nCoV. This patient has been isolated.

Places where Covid-19 patients are infected. Click on image to see details.