Senegal crossed the symbolic threshold of 1,000 Covid-19 deaths on Friday, just as the West African state was scheduled to ease virus-related restrictions.
Like many African countries, Senegal’s infection rate is far below that of the West. However the country has faced a second wave of Covid-19 cases since December.
On Friday, health authorities said that they had recorded 37,541 cases since the pandemic began, with 1,003 deaths.
Senegal reinstated a night-time curfew in the capital Dakar, and the western city of Thies, in January in a bid to curb the spread of the virus.
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The rate of new infections appears to have slowed after reaching a peak in early February. Senegal also launched a Covid-19 vaccination campaign on February 23.
A government spokesperson told AFP on Friday that the country would lift its curfew in Dakar and Thies at midnight.
Some observers have argued that the deadly protests which swept Senegal this month were partly fuelled by frustrations over virus-related restrictions.
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