On 20 March, the first three cases were confirmed in Antananarivo, the capital of Madagascar. All three cases were women. During March, 57 persons tested positive. All 57 cases were active at the end of the month.
April 2020
By 22 April, Madagascar had reported 121 cases but no deaths. During April, 71 persons tested positive. The number of confirmed cases since the start of the outbreak reached 128. The number of active cases at the end of the month was 36, a decrease by 37% from March.
May 2020
On 5 May, Madagascar reported a total of 149 cases but no deaths. The first death was recorded on 16 May. The victim was an unnamed 57-year-old medical worker who suffered from diabetes and high blood pressure. During the month 643 persons tested positive. The number of confirmed cases since the start of the outbreak reached 771. The number of active cases at the end of the month was 597, an increase by 561 persons from April. Six persons died from COVID-19 in May.
June 2020
As of 2 June, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control had recorded 6 COVID-19 related deaths in Madagascar. The pandemic has been blamed for an early and fiercer than normal fire season as citizens deprived of tourism revenue turn to the forests. During the month 1443 persons tested positive, bringing the total number of confirmed cases since the start of the outbreak to 2214. There were 1200 active cases at the end of June, more than twice the number at the end of May. The death toll increased by 14 to 20.
July 2020
By 12 July, a total of 4,867 positive cases had been recorded, more than double the total at the end of June. On 7 July, a lockdown was reimposed in the central region to deal with the surge in cases.
Prevention measures
Lockdowns were implemented in at least two cities. The government announced on 17 March that all international and regional flights would be suspended for 30 days starting 20 March. Due to the crisis, a lack of international tourists caused problems for the tourism industry. Ambatovy mine suspended operations. The Central Bank of Madagascar injected hundreds of billions of ariary into the banking system to ease the economic damage caused by COVID-19. On 20 April 2020, Madagascar President Andry Rajoelina officially launched a coronavirus "cure" dubbed "Covid-Organic". Developed by the Madagascar Institute of Applied Research, the herbal tea was made using artemisia and other locally sourced herbs. Soldiers were dispatched to hand out batches of "Covid-Organic", with Colonel Willy Ratovondrainy announcing on state television that the tea would "strengthen immunity". However, the National Academy of Medicine of Madagascar voiced its skepticism, while the World Health Organization cautioned that there was no proof for any coronavirus cure at the time of Covid-Organic's launch. The African Union has entered into discussions with the Malagasy government to test the drug's safety and efficiency. In the central region with Antananarivo, a lockdown was imposed from 6 to 20 July in response to a spike in new cases in the capital.
