French Cameroun: Violating COVID-19 Restrictions Can Get You Arrested
Police in Cameroon have begun arresting people who defy measures put in place to stop the spread of the coronavirus, which has so far has infected 139 people in the central African state. Police are sealing shops that exceed maximum numbers for customers, impounding vehicles that carry too many passengers, and this week arrested more than 50 prostitutes for sneaking into hotels used to isolate suspected cases.
Jean Claude Tsila, the top government official in Mfoundi Division, the administrative unit where Yaounde is located, said he was appalled to learn that people who have been isolated in hotels on suspicion of being carriers of COVID-19 are receiving nocturnal visitors.
Tsila said he ordered the arrest of 50 prostitutes, as well as 13 women and 6 men who sneaked into hotels to meet their spouses.
“We discovered that people put in quarantine were conniving with hotel agents [workers] to smuggle women into the hotel to sleep with them. We have arrested some of them. We have to work together to stop this virus,” he said.
Tsila said he ordered all of the arrested persons to be put in isolation, while the police have been instructed to find unauthorized hotel visitors who have been on the run.
Authorities in Cameroon recently isolated more than 500 citizens and 70 foreigners in an attempt to stop the spread of the coronavirus. All of those quarantined flew into the central African state on March 17th and 18th before the government closed the borders and suspended issuance of visas until further notice.
However, 150 of those quarantined escaped from their hotels. The government is searching for them, as well as another 186 people who returned home from France and Italy on March 17 and refused to be isolated.
Enforcing social distancing
Despite government warnings, officials say a majority of Cameroonians are not taking coronavirus seriously, and authorities are taking steps to enforce social distancing rules.
Troops have shut down stores for allowing in too many customers, closed markets for not respecting hygiene norms, and stopped buses that carried too many passengers.
Close to 400 taxis were ordered off the road in Yaounde alone for transporting more than the maximum three passengers per vehicle.
Taxi drivers union leader Ernest Verla said drivers will respect the restrictions if the government gives them subsidies, increases taxi fares or reduces fuel prices.
“They [the government] did not reduce the price of fuel, we are struggling, things are not moving and we are unable to make it. It is more than us. When you put [buy] fuel for 10 000 [francs] you are unable to work [raise] 3 000,” said Verla.
Cameroon’s first case of COVID-19 was confirmed on February 9. Since then, confirmed cases have increased to 139, with six deaths reported.
Source: VOA
Yaounde reports 51 new coronavirus infections
Cameroon has registered 51 new infections of the novel coronavirus, bringing the total to 193, Cameroonian Minister of Public Health Manaouda Malachie said in a tweet Tuesday morning.
According to the minister, these 51 new cases were diagnosed out of a total of 94 travelers quarantined in hotels in Yaounde, the Cameroonian capital. Twenty-four of them have tested negative, while 19 have a questionable result and will need to be tested again.
This is a new record of daily growth in the number of infections in Cameroon after 40 new cases were reported on a single day last Sunday.
Cameroon is now one of the countries most affected by COVID-19 in sub-Saharan Africa. The country currently has 193 confirmed cases, including six deaths and “a dozen” of cured, according to the health minister.
Most of the cases are in Yaounde and Douala, the country’s economic hub. Western city of Bafoussam and southwestern city of Limbe also have a few patients.
Source: Xinhuanet
Coronavirus: Discipline Courage will take us through the Pandemic
The world is facing a colossal crisis. Its biggest crisis in living memory and the future is bleak. The health and economic consequences are seismic. More than 41,494 people have died so far and these numbers are growing daily and alarmingly according to figures released by Johns Hopkins University. The experts say the peak of this pandemic is two weeks away.
Frightening!! Fear and apprehension have taken the place of calmness and confidence. Ghost towns, self-isolation and quarantine are now a norm in the world. Vibrant communities have been reduced to graveyards with little or no movement or people as all non-essential activities have ceased. The tension and anxiety in the air can be touched. Life isn’t the same and it will never be the same. Yesterday, Cameroon Concord News Group reported that over the last week, three members of the Southern Cameroons community in the UK have died due to the coronavirus. Our thoughts and prayers are with their families. Now, the penny has dropped that this is not a foreign illness; this is within our communities and families.
So far, the major economies have announced over $4.5 trillion in stimulus packages. These are astonishing and unprecedented figures. The approach from these governments is one of doing all they can to overcome this crisis. Millions of people have lost their jobs and millions more face uncertain futures. In the midst of this bleakness and uncertainty, Cameroon Concord News Group believes that there is hope for the future. If it’s bleak and uncertain now, so was it during many generations of the past. The great Ralph Waldo Emerson reminds us with these words “people wish to be settled; only as far as they are unsettled is there any hope for them.” These unsettling times should give us hope for the future. No great advancements have come from settled generations.
History reminds us that the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918, infected an estimated 500 million people worldwide, about one-third of the world’s population at the time, and killed an estimated 50 million. Looking at such figures, we must count ourselves fortunate to be living in the 21st century with unbelievable advances in medicine and technology. Cameroon Concord News Group trusts that as deadly as the coronavirus is, we shall emerge victorious from this pandemic just as our ancestors did with primeval medical standards over a century ago. The journey is uncomfortable and dreary but we shall conquer.
Cameroon Concord News Group recommends that its readers who are going through challenging and uncertain futures utilise these next few months for meditation and reflection. We believe that it’s only through calmness of body; mind and spirit could one tap into his inner powers. This too shall pass. To come out on the other side as winners, we need to cultivate courage within ourselves. Discipline courage is the resolution to be thoughtful and focused in the face of adversity. Discipline courage gives us great clarity on our dreams and requires fortitude. It’s not easy but we must develop this discipline if we are to emerge from this pandemic strong. We need discipline courage to analyse our lives and make the changes necessary for self-growth after the storm.
The history of the human race is a record of human challenges and victories. Our generation is no different. Europe and the United States have somehow emerged as the hub of this pandemic. For some of us living within these borders, the aftermath will undoubtedly challenge our foundations. Cameroon Concord News Group opines that we cultivate compassion and solidarity as companions of discipline courage. We of this media outlet believe fervently that with these qualities, victory will be ours and success will be yours in the years after this pandemic.
Isong Asu
London Bureau Chief
Former Olympique de Marseille president Pape Diouf dies of coronavirus aged 68
He is the latest victim of the coronavirus outbreak. The former president of Olympique de Marseille (OM) Pape Diouf died after being hit by Covid-19. His death has been confirmed by RTS, Senegal’s public television channel. He was 68 years old.
Hospitalized in Dakar, where he was under respiratory assistance, Pape Diouf was to be repatriated from Dakar to Nice by medical plane but his condition deteriorated, the plane could not take off and he died on Senegalese soil.
A former journalist, players’ agent and then head of OM from 2005 to 2009, Diouf had notably contributed to building the 2010 French championship team after 17 years without a title for OM.
Could high HIV rates worsen the coronavirus crisis in South Africa?
The South African government is ramping up testing and preventative measures to tackle the spread of COVID-19, but high rates of HIV infection could potentially put millions at risk.
With 1,326 confirmed cases of coronavirus and three deaths, South Africa appears to be the worst affected country on the continent. In response, the government has enforced a 21-day lockdown and imposed draconian sanctions on those breaking the rules.
In an address to the nation on Sunday, March 15, President Cyril Ramaphosa said, “Never before in the history of our democracy has our country been confronted with such a severe situation.”
And HIV could make things much worse.
South Africa has one of the highest rates of HIV in the world. According to the UN, there are 7.7 million people living with the virus in South Africa, including one in five adults aged 15-49. An estimated 2.5 million of those infected do not have access to the anti-retroviral drugs which ensure the healthy functioning of the immune system.
“The concern is that if you do not have a good immune system, your ability to ward off this infection could be compromised,” professor Gray, president of the South African Medical Research Council, explained to FRANCE 24.
Gray, who has never been busier and wakes up at night with panic attacks triggered by thoughts of the pandemic, also said that people with weak immune systems could remain infectious for longer periods of time. But she emphasised that, in practice, it is too soon to know what the concrete effects of HIV will be on the Covid-19 contagion. “We are still gathering the data,” she said.
There have, however, been a number of clues. Before the outbreak of Covid-19, the Academy of Science of South Africa has found that people suffering from HIV are eight times as likely to require hospitalization for pneumonia due to an influenza (flu) virus and three times more likely to die from such infections.
Adding further risk, those infected by HIV are 16-27 times more likely to contract tuberculosis – a bacterial lung disease highly prevalent in South Africa. The World Health Organization noted that those suffering from respiratory illnesses face increased risk from Covid-19.
Researchers have already begun exploring whether HIV medication could combat Covid-19. Anti-retroviral drugs are already used to treat viruses such as hepatitis B.
For now, however, evidence of their effectiveness remains largely anecdotal. Doctors in Japan and Thailand have treated Covid-19 with a combination of HIV drugs and flu medicine. A study in the Journal of the American Medical Association from March also showed positive results for patients treated with lopinavir and ritonavir anti-retroviral drugs. In 2004, a paper published in The Lancet found that these drugs, used in combination, showed “substantial clinical benefit” for patients suffering from SARS – an illness also caused by a coronavirus.
Other studies have found the HIV medication to be ineffective against Covid-19. Gray says much more testing is needed before these drugs can be used routinely in South Africa and across the world. “At this moment in time, it is all about tracking and modelling,” she said.
As the Southern hemisphere heads into flu season, Gray is worried that a flu epidemic breaking out alongside COVID-19 would be “catastrophic” and that a global shortage of swabs, tests and protective equipment for health workers could hit poorer regions, such as Southern Africa, hardest. Crowded living conditions in the country’s townships make contagion almost inevitable.
“We don’t want a tragedy. We’ve had enough tragedy in this country,” she said.
Source: France 24
US virus death toll exceeds official China tally
The number of deaths in the United States from coronavirus has surpassed those reported by China, where the pandemic began in December, according to a toll published on Tuesday by Johns Hopkins University.
There have been 3,415 deaths in the US from the virus, the Baltimore-based university said, more than the 3,309 reported officially in China.
Italy has suffered the most virus deaths — 12,428 — according to Johns Hopkins, followed by Spain with 8,269 and then the United States.
There are 175,067 confirmed coronavirus cases in the US, the university said, the most of any country in the world.
Italy is next with 105,792 cases, followed by Spain with 94,417 and China with an official tally of 82,278.
Germany has 68,180 cases and 682 deaths followed by France and its overseas territories with 45,232 cases and 3,032 deaths, Johns Hopkins said.
Source: AFP
Corona updates: World fighting off lethal virus; Italy, US worst hotspots
Italy, the world’s worst hotspot for the new coronavirus after the United States, has reported a decline in the number of its new cases.
Italy’s Civil Protection Agency said on Monday that 4,050 new cases had been registered in the last 24 hours — the lowest increase since March 17 — bringing the total number of infections to 101,739.
Italian officials have been suggesting that the country may be close to the peak of its epidemic, after which new cases will start to consistently drop. Several Italian regions have already been reporting declines in a row.
However, Italy has been registering extraordinarily large fatality figures in recent days. In its Monday update, the Civil Protection Agency reported 812 deaths.
The country has reported 11,591 deaths since the outbreak emerged in its northern regions on February 21, the highest figure anywhere in the world.
Meanwhile, and despite the decline in the new infections, the government has decided to extend containment measures until at least Easter, according to Health Minister Roberto Speranza.
Italy has been on lockdown for three weeks in an attempt to contain its coronavirus outbreak, which is Europe’s worst. Nationwide lockdown measures were due to end on Friday.
China records 48 new cases, all imported
China on Monday reported a total of 48 new cases of the COVID-19 disease, with all cases having been imported from abroad, the National Health Commission said Tuesday.
The commission also reported one death.
Mainland China has 81,518 confirmed cases and 3,305 deaths so far.
South Korea reports 125 new cases
South Korea, which has the highest number in Asia after China, recorded 125 new cases, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Tuesday.
The country now has 9,786 confirmed infections.
Japan’s cases exceed 2,000
Japan’s infections exceeded 2,000 cases on Tuesday, according to a Reuters calculation based on ministry data and media reports.
Kyodo News reported that seven more infections had been reported in a center for disabled people in Chiba Prefecture, east of Tokyo, on Tuesday.
More cases were confirmed in Ehime, Fukui, Kagawa, and Tokushima prefectures, as well as in a doctor and nurse in Tokyo’s cancer research hospital, according to Kyodo and public broadcaster NHK.
Mexico announces health emergency
Mexico declared a health emergency on Monday to stop the fast-spreading coronavirus, including by limiting the number of people who can gather and extending a suspension of non-essential activities.
The number of confirmed cases in the country increased from 993 to 1,094 and the death toll rose by eight to 28.
Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard announced that the health emergency would be in force until April 30, adding that people or companies that did not abide by the rules would face administrative or penal action.
In Germany, cases near 62,000
The number of infections in Germany climbed by 4,615 to 61,913, statistics from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases showed on Tuesday.
The death toll also increased by 128 compared with the previous day and reached 583, according to the RKI statistics.
Source: Presstv
Millions enter lockdown in Nigeria, Zimbabwe, as Africa steps up virus fight
More than 20 million Nigerians on Monday went into lockdown in sub-Saharan Africa’s biggest city Lagos and the capital Abuja, as the continent struggles to curb the spread of coronavirus.
President Muhammadu Buhari ordered a two-week “cessation of all movements” in key cities to ward off an explosion of cases in Africa’s most populous country.
Businesses are being closed, non-food shops shut and people required to stay at home as officials look to track down possible carriers of the disease after reporting 131 confirmed cases and two deaths so far.
Enforcing the restrictions in sprawling Lagos will be a mammoth challenge as millions live crammed into slums and rely on daily earnings to survive.
In the ramshackle outdoor markets of Lagos Island, anxious locals complained they did not have the money to stock up, while at higher-end supermarkets better-off residents queued to buy supplies.
“Two weeks is too long. I don’t know how we will cope,” said student Abdul Rahim, 25, as he helped his sister sell foodstuffs from a stall in Jankarra market.
“People are hungry and they won’t be able to stock food.”
City officials have pledged to provide basic provisions to 200,000 households but the central government in Africa’s largest oil producing nation is already facing financial strain as the price of crude has collapsed.
The streets of Ghana’s capital Accra were also empty as most people in two regions appeared to be following a presidential order to stay indoors after it went into force.
Zimbabwe locks down
Dozens of African nations have imposed restrictions ranging from night-time curfews to total shutdowns.
Zimbabwe, which is already suffering a recession, began enforcing a three-week lockdown after the disease left one person dead and infected six others.
Police mounted checkpoints on routes leading to Harare’s central business district, stopping cars and turning away pedestrians who had no authorisation to be in the area.
“We don’t want to see people here on the streets. We don’t want to see people who have no business in town just loitering,” a policewoman said through a loud hailer. “Everyone to their homes.”
Some people were trying to head for villages.
“We would rather spend the 21 days at our rural home, where we don’t have to buy everything. I can’t afford to feed my family here when I am not working,” said Most Jawure.
“We have been waiting here for more than two hours but there are no buses,” Jawure told AFP while standing with his wife and daughter beside a bulging suitcase.
For many of Zimbabwe’s 16 million people, the lockdown means serious hardship.
With the unemployment rate estimated at around 90 percent, most Zimbabweans have informal jobs to eke out a living and few have substantial savings.
As a similar scenario played out in other poor nations, the UN on Monday called for a $2.5-trillion aid package to help developing countries weather the pandemic, including debt cancellation and a health recovery “Marshall Plan”.
‘A matter of time’
Experts warn that Africa is highly vulnerable to COVID-19 given the weak state of health systems across the continent.
The number of infections lags far behind Europe but testing has been limited and the figures are growing rapidly.
Angola and Ivory Coast on Sunday became the latest countries to record their first deaths, bringing the number of African fatalities to around 150 of nearly 4,800 recorded cases.
In Democratic Republic of Congo, two new cases were reported in the volatile South Kivu region and an adviser to the nation’s president announced he had tested positive.
Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni ordered a 14-day lockdown in a bid to halt the spread of the disease after reporting 33 infections.
Police in South Sudan, one of a few nations in Africa yet to confirm a case, enforced strict new rules, shutting shops selling non-essential items and limiting passengers in public transport.
Mauritius, which has 128 cases — the highest in East Africa — has extended its lockdown to April 15.
South Africa’s defence minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula on Monday denounced alleged intimidation by security forces after videos emerged showing some forcing civilians to squat or roll on the ground for allegedly violating restrictions.
In an interview with local Newzroom Afrika television channel, she said she was aware of two videos “which have circulated where clearly there (is) some abuse”.
“I’m saying I condemn that, we will not allow that to continue,” she said.
(AFP)
Biya regime seeking XAF197 billion loan from Afreximbank
Sonara, Cameroon’s only oil refinery, could soon receive a €300 million loan (about XAF197 billion) to import oil products.
This was revealed by Ferdinand Ngoh Ngoh, Minister of State and Secretary-General of the Presidency of the Republic, in a note signed on March 25. In the note, the Minister of State informed the government about President Paul Biya’s authorization for the launch of negotiations with Afreximbank for the said loan.
The Presidency also indicates that Sonara is now allowed a minimal margin of XAF47.88/L with no impact on the current pump prices.
Since the May 31, 2019, fire incident, Sonara has become an oil products’ importer. The 2020 finance act plans to remove it from the “industry” category and reclassify it as a company operating in the business sector during the current fiscal year.
After the fire incident, the volume of oil products imported by the country to ensure supply is estimated at 1.540 million m3. According to the Ministry of Energy, Sonara imported 480,000m3 and the other marketers operating in Cameroon imported 1.06 million m3.
Source: Business in Cameroon