Senegal on Friday announced its highest daily death and infection figures for the coronavirus since the outbreak of the pandemic in March.

Health practitioners recorded eight deaths and 296 infections in the West African country over the previous 24 hours.

As elsewhere in Africa, Senegal's infection rate is far below levels reached in the West, with a total of 20,000+ cases and 446 deaths.

But the impoverished West African nation is battling a second wave of Covid-19, forcing the government to impose new restrictions this week.

Health ministry spokesman Mamadou Ndiaye told AFP that the latest infection and fatality figures are daily records for the country.

In response to the surging number of cases, the government re-established a curfew on Wednesday. The following day it imposed the wearing of masks in the streets for three months.

mrb-ab/lal/blb/eml/pvh