Adventure Thug: COVID-19, Niamey, Niger

Twenty years from now when someone asks me where I was during the Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, I can say in self-isolation in Niamey, Niger, because the President put the country on lockdown on 19 March, two days before my departure date on 21 March. I was not able to change my flight before the lockdown occurred. There are no international flights arriving or departing from Niamey. All Niger land borders are also closed. Flight are tentatively supposed to begin 2 April, however that will be determined at a later date. If necessary, the lockdown could be extended for an additional 2 weeks to 16 April.

On the bright side, as of 19 March nobody in Niger has tested positive to Coronavirus (COVID-19) in Niger. There are no food shortages. The community remains calm but on alert. The situation can change very quickly, but for now life continues as usually except for the cancellation of schools, closing the borders, more people are wearing masks, washing/sanitizing their hands, etc. It’s still at a casual level. Conversely, many still shake hands, don’t respect the 2 meter/ 6 feet social distancing, attend the local outdoor market, eat at restaurants, etc. Some have speculated that the lack of positive Coronavirus (COVID-19) test cases is due to the extreme heat, but that is not confirmed.

I rented a private AirBnB bungalow unit in Niamey. I plan to stay here and self-isolate for the next 2 weeks. My contact with the outside would should be very limited, except when visiting the grocery or liquor store, but I plan to wash and sanitize before and after the visits. I'm looking forward to this downtime to reflect and document my last 3 years of travel. 25 March 2020 completes my 3 year of travel. I started traveling on 25 March 2017.

AirBnB Exterior

Bed and Sitting Area

Kitchen

Front window views.

The AirBnB compound is home to a pet menagerie (mostly birds and fowls) but also turtles, dogs, fish pond, etc. and lots of manicured gardens.

The red circles indicate number of detected coronavirus cases in each of the country as of 19 March 2020. Very few cases have been detected in Africa to date, but that does mean they will not be detected in the future.