Official Resources

• The Chadian Ministry of Public Health has a hotline “green” number 1313 for inquiries about the COVID-19 virus. The call is free and available 24/7.

COVID-19 Restrictions

Movement Restrictions

• Is a curfew in place? Yes. The Curfew is from 2000 -0500 hours (unrelated to COVID-19)
• Are there restrictions on intercity or interstate travel? No.

Transportation Options

• Are commercial flights operating? Yes.
• Is public transportation operating? Yes.

Fines for Non-Compliance 

• A 2,000 FCFA (approximately USD $4) fine and/or 15 days in prison are possible for non-compliance with mask requirements.

Economic Measures

Key Policy Responses as of June 2, 2021

FISCAL

• Financing for COVID-19 health-related expenditures are estimated at CFAF 42 billion (0.8 percent of non-oil GDP), which are being implemented under a national contingency plan. Key measures include: (i) training of medical and technical staff, (ii) purchase of necessary medical equipment, (iii) construction of seven health centers in remote areas, (iv) construction of three mobile hospitals, and (v) securely managing entry points. Additionally, the capacity of Farcha Hospital in N'Djamena is going to be expanded and the hiring of additional health workers is in process. The authorities have also decided on a package of fiscal measures to help businesses weather the shock: (i) for SMEs, the authorities will, among other things, reduce by 50 percent the business license fees and the presumptive tax for 2020, (ii) tax breaks such as carryforward losses and delays in tax payments will also be examined on a case-by-case basis, (iii) clearance of domestic arrears of about CFAF 110 billion owed to suppliers, (iv) a subsidy planned to the agricultural sector (0.3 percent of non-oil GDP), and (v) the simplification of the import process for food and necessity items, including health equipment, and tax exemptions for these items. Measures were also taken to alleviate the hardship on households, including (i) temporary suspension of payments of electricity and water bills for the lifeline consumption, as well as (ii) Replenishment of the national food distribution program (Office National de Sécurité Alimentaire, ONASA) (0.5 percent of non-oil GDP), (iii) the National Assembly adopted a new law on May 11, 2020, that establishes a Youth Entrepreneurship Fund (0.6 percent of non-oil GDP), (iv) payment of all death benefits due to deceased civil and military agents, indemnities and ancillary wages owed to retirees and payment of medical expenses for civilian agents and defense and security forces (0.1 percent of non-oil GDP), and (v) the national assembly adopted the law on September 26, 2020, that establishes the solidarity fund for the vulnerable population amounting to CFAF 100 billion. The 2020 supplementary budget, which includes the COVID-19 measures, was enacted by the Parliament in August 2020.

MONETARY AND MACRO-FINANCIAL

• On March 27, 2020, BEAC announced a set of monetary easing measures including a decrease of the policy rate by 25 bps to 3.25 percent, a decrease of the Marginal Lending Facility rate by 100 bps to 5 percent, a suspension of absorption operations, an increase of liquidity provision from FCFA 240 to 500 billion, and a widening of the range of private instruments accepted as collateral in monetary operations. BEAC also reduced haircuts applicable to private instruments accepted as collateral for refinancing operations until end-2020, which it extended by 6 months from January 1, 2021 at its December 21, 2020 MPC meeting. Further, at its July 22, 2020, extraordinary Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting the BEAC announced a new program of government securities purchases for the next 6 months, which it extended by another 6 months starting on March 1, 2021 at its December 21, 2020 MPC meeting. The purchase program is meant as a safety net, to ensure full cover of government securities issuances, while being consistent with BEAC Charter which prohibits direct monetary financing. The program is based on revised securities issuance plans for each country, consistent with the latest revised budget laws and the budget financing frameworks agreed under the IMF programs. The BEAC also decided to resume liquidity injections with longer maturity, of up to one year.

  On March 25, 2020, the COBAC informed banks that they can use their capital conservation buffers of 2.5 percent to absorb pandemic-related losses but requested banks to adopt a restrictive policy with regards to dividend distribution. In July 2020, the COBAC prevented all banks from distributing any dividend for the years 2020 and 2021. The COBAC also put in place ad-hoc reporting to closely monitor financial stability developments following the COVID-19 crisis.

Civic Freedom Tracker

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