This study states that Madagascar is a large island located in the South-West of the Indian Ocean with an estimated population of about 27 million, most of whom (65%) inhabit rural areas.8 International connection through air-traffic remains limited with fewer than 50 international flights per week and around 500 000 passengers annually.8 In order to mitigate the introduction of SARS-CoV-2 to Madagascar from patients arriving from affected countries, the Institut Pasteur de Madagascar established a real-time RT-PCR detection platform in country as early as 29 January 2020, thanks to technical support from the Hong Kong University—Pasteur Research Pole.9
Following an increasing number of cases in Europe and Asia, one of the regions with high volume of travellers, the Malagasy Government screened all incoming international travellers from 12 to 20 March 2020 and eventually decided to close the country to all air-traffic on 20 March 2020. After the detection of the first SARS-CoV-2 case in Madagascar from an incoming traveller on 19 March 2020, other non-pharmaceutical interventions were adopted, including curfew, stay-at-home order, closure of non-essential businesses and social distancing in order to prevent or limit the spread of the virus in the country.
Reference link- https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/irv.12845
