Chad to close airports over coronavirus fears

Chad, though it has yet to record a coronavirus case, announced Monday that it would close its airports to all flights for two weeks over fears of COVID-19 spreading.

The north-central African country's government said the measure will start at midnight on Thursday, adding that it does not apply to planes transporting goods.

The government called on "Chadians living abroad and wanting to return to the country do so within the required timeframe".

"The land borders remain open apart from those with Sudan and the Central African Republic," it added in a statement. The borders with those two conflict-plagued countries had been closed before the outbreak of the deadly virus in China in December.

Home to 465,000 refugees, most of them Sudanese, Chad also said it would "strictly limit movement outside refugee camps".

A measles outbreak in the former French colony of 16 million people killed 255 people between January and November last year.