Hi, this is Adónis, bringing you a quick peak at how Maputo City (Mozambique’s capital) is doing today, September 15^th, during the Covid-19 pandemic.

As cases were slowly starting to rise all around the country new rules were implemented to try and reduce the speed at which the virus was spreading. The usage of masks, social distancing, and hand sanitization are the main methods that are being enforced in public spaces.

Initially there was a period where people avoided leaving their houses, but as most people can’t afford to stay home, quickly everything went back to normal, with a few new habits to attempt keep us all safe.

At bus stops, people try harder to maintain distance from each other whenever possible, but as buses are few, this proves to be a difficult endeavor. As I do not drive, I choose to walk as much as I can due to this issue.

All those entering public buildings or locations where people gather are required to wear masks, most of these are crafted locally. Lots of stores now sell masks as well, although the bulk of mask purchases are trough the informal sales people that roam the streets.

Companies with customer service venues now limit the amount of people that can be inside at any time, queuing the rest on the exterior of the building.

In the beginning of the pandemic, public venues rushed to get makeshift means for people to sanitize their hands before entering the premises, and this was usually in the form of a small water tank with a tap and bucket. A few weeks into the pandemic most had equipped themselves with gel dispensers of some sort, with the foot pedal dispenser being the most popular. In most places both of these methods can still be seen.

It is now uncommon to see someone who does not wear a mask, and most people put them on as soon as they step out of their homes.

Parks and a few other public locations reopened after some time in lockdown, and people routinely frequent these places.

Many businesses like restaurants and bars took the lockdown as a chance to do some work, taking advantage of the fact that they couldn’t take in customers for some time.

All in all, today the city’s energy is almost back at what it was before the pandemic started, and generally, the main difference is that most students are required to stay home and have remote classes, which is noticeable in the still, but vastly less burdened public transportation system.