Physical distance measures and their implementation in the four countries
| Mali | Senegal | Burkina Faso | Guinea | |
| Declaration of the first COVID-19 case (date) | 24 March 2020 | 02 March 2020 | 09 March 2020 | 12 March 2020 |
| Ban on mass gatherings | Interdiction of mass gatherings of more than 50 people. Collective prayers were prohibited but had poor compliance. Schools and universities closed 1 week before the first COVID-19 case. No interdiction of interurban transport. No closure of markets but regulation of opening hours. | Interdiction of mass gatherings of more than 50 people. Closure of schools and universities. Collective prayers were prohibited and had moderate compliance. Schools and universities closed some weeks after the first case. No interdiction of interurban transport. Closure of markets. | Interdiction of mass gatherings of more than 50 people. Closure of schools and universities. Collective prayers were prohibited but had poor compliance. Interdiction of all intercity public transport. Closure of markets. | Interdiction mass gatherings of more than 200 people and then reduced to 20 people. Closure of schools and universities. Limitation of the number of passengers in public transport to 3 persons per car, 1 per motorcycle and 5–7 per minibus in the city of Conakry. No closure of markets but regulation of opening hours. |
| Closure of borders | Suspension of commercial flights, followed by complete closure of borders 1 week before the first COVID-19 case. | Closure of borders 3 weeks after the first COVID-19 case. | Closure of borders announced for 2 renewable weeks. | Closure of borders with all high-risk countries who had announced more than 200 COVID-19 cases. |
| Curfews | A curfew was introduced by all four countries according to various schedules, sometimes coupled with the declaration of a state of health emergency. | |||
| Quarantine of cities | Quarantine was not considered relevant. | Only one quarantined village: Boyinugal (Tambacounda). | Quarantine of all cities reporting a COVID-19 case. | Only the capital city (Conakry) partially quarantined. |
| Reduction of working hours | Working hours were reduced from 08:00. to 14:00. Teleworking and rearrangement of workspaces were recommended. | Working hours were reduced from 09:00 to 15:00. Teleworking and rearrangement of workspaces were recommended. | Working hours were reduced from 08:00 to 14:00. Teleworking and rearrangement of workspaces were recommended. | No formal restrictions by the government. However, companies, NGOs and institutions adjusted their timetables and operational modus, to end the working day at 14:00. Teleworking and rearrangement of workspaces were recommended. |
NGO, non-governmental organisation.