So far, Africa has come through the corona pandemic comparatively lightly. Many popular holiday destinations are now receiving guests again. We give an overview of which countries can currently be visited.

When the coronavirus took hold of the world in the spring of this year, many were particularly concerned about the situation on the African continent. In view of the difficult hygienic conditions in many places and the poor medical supply situation, especially in rural areas, the worst was to be feared.

In fact, however, the 54 African countries have so far got off relatively lightly. While 17 percent of the world’s population lives on the continent, only 3.5 percent of the world’s Covid 19 deaths were recently counted here.

A good six months later, many countries that are popular with German travelers, such as Ethiopia, Kenya, Namibia, Tanzania, Uganda, the Seychelles , Cape Verde and Zimbabwe, are again receiving foreign guests. “We are prepared, we have space, we are waiting for tourists”, appeals, for example, to Caspar Venter from the African tour operator Venter Tours to Europeans who like to travel.

Africa, with its endless nature parks and deserted beaches, is currently an ideal travel region. Even the planes, with their unprecedented low occupancy, did not pose an increased risk of infection.

The population in Africa is younger on average
If one believes health experts, the reasons for the low number of infections in Africa are not primarily to be found in a lower test capacity compared to other parts of the world.

“The picture emerges that although the infection rate was higher in many African countries,” said Kevin Marsh, tropical medicine at Oxford University, and Moses Alobo from the African Academy of Sciences, in the online magazine “Quartz Africa”, “but the severity the pandemic and mortality were much lower than had been predicted from the experience in China and Europe. ”

The researchers cite several factors as reasons. First of all, there is comparatively low mobility and the young population of the African countries. In Kenya, for example, it is an average of 20 years, in Germany, it is 47 years.

Kenya was also one of the countries that quickly expanded its testing capabilities. In South Africa, which was by far the hardest hit by Corona, it was possible, according to reports by the BBC, to build a makeshift clinic with 1200 beds near the city of Port Elizabeth in a very short time thanks to a partnership with the car manufacturer VW.

Experience with Ebola helps with Corona
The most humid and warm weather also has a slowing effect on the infection rate. In Africa, there is no freezing wet and rarely drizzle – factors that are currently favoring the spread of the second wave in Northern Europe, for example in Germany. According to the experts, the experience already gained with epidemics such as Ebola should not be underestimated.

The African countries still had the emergency plan in the drawer and reacted quickly, emphasizes Voice 4 Africa, a tourism initiative based in Frankfurt, which sees itself as a network of tour operators, airlines, ambassadors, and other representatives of the travel industry with a focus on Africa.

There is still a great deal of vigilance, there are also strict hygiene protocols, and the local tour operators take special care and caution to protect their guests as best as possible. After all, African countries, in which every euro spent by foreign visitors secure the existence of an above-average number of people, are economically particularly dependent on international tourism.

South Africa shows the dynamics of the situation
If you want to know which countries in Africa can currently be visited, you will find it on the website of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) – there is an overview of the current entry requirements for all countries in the world.

Since the regulations change on a daily basis, it is advisable, however, to find out more on the website of the Federal Foreign Office, which also lists current travel warnings that currently affect a number of popular African travel destinations. For example, Ethiopia, which in turn allows holidaymakers to enter, provided they present a negative PCR test that is no more than five days old – and complete a one-week quarantine, which is probably not practical for many tourists.