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Madagascar Ends 17-Month State of Emergency as Virus Cases Wane

Madagascar Ends 17-Month State of Emergency as Virus Cases Wane

Madagascar, the world’s biggest producer of vanilla, ended a 17-month health state of emergency as the number of cases of coronavirus in the Indian Ocean island-nation ebbed.

Following a meeting of ministers, President Andry Rajoelina’s government on Friday declared an end to the state emergency “in view of the development of the Covid-19 epidemic in the Republic of Madagascar, where the number of people infected with Covid-19 has dropped to a minimum,” according to a statement published on the presidency’s website.

Data from the health ministry showed that total cases in the country amounted to 42,878, with 956 deaths recorded, during the period from March 2020 to Sept. 2. Two cases were registered on Thursday. The sanitary state of emergency was introduced in March last year.

©2021 Bloomberg L.P.