A high-ranking politician in Burkina Faso has died after getting infected with coronavirus.

The announcement was made by medical authorities in the poor Sahel state of Burkina Faso on Wednesday. The report further stated that the number of infections there had risen by seven to 27.

The woman has been identified as 62-year-old Rose-Marie Compaore, a lawmaker and the first vice president of the parliament. She’s a member of the country’s main opposition party, the Union for Progress and Change (UPC) said in a statement.

She was diabetic and died overnight.

Burkina Faso has ordered the closure of all schools and barred all public and private gatherings until the end of April.

There was concern on the unusually quiet streets of the capital Ouagadougou on Wednesday.

“It’s worrying what is happening with this virus, but we cannot barricade ourselves like developed countries. We lack everything here — we live day-to-day,” said bicycle seller Boureima Baguian.

“We cannot, for example, close the big market. If that happens, it’s not the coronavirus that will kill us but misery and hunger.”

The Democratic Republic of Congo announced similar measures as it reported its first local case, banning flights from affected countries and closing schools and universities for four weeks.

South Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa’s worst-hit country, has banned cruise ships from its ports. More than 1,700 people are stranded on a liner off Cape Town over fears that some have the virus.

It is just the latest blow to tourism across the continent, with coronavirus fears also cancelling sporting, cultural and religious events.

Christian and Muslim leaders in Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast and Senegal said they would suspend services to protect their faithful.

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