Cameroon Opens Schools Amid Covid-19 Spike

Schools and universities opened in Cameroon on Monday, as the government makes a bold statement on the success of its fight against Covid-19. 

The nation had previously recorded 6,380 confirmed cases of Covid-19, along with 273 confirmed deaths. However, over half of those cases have recovered, leading the government to launch their recovery stage. 

Cameroon’s Prime Minister Joseph Dion Ngute announced the gradual reopening of the country on state media outlet CRTV, saying with Churchillian tones “Let us not give into panic”. 

Ngute also introduced new personal safety measures: "The ministers concerned have been instructed to ensure that protective masks are worn […] They should also make available the required sanitary kits such as hand sanitizers and hand washing buckets in each establishment."

The new rules require schools to be disinfected three times a week and for soap and water to be provided by the government. No more than 24 children are permitted into classrooms at one time, taking the number of pupils in one room down by a fifth on average. 

Not all the rules seem to have been effective in practice, however, as one teenager found out. 

Velma Soli returned home after feeling like her school was still unsafe. She said “I went to school and discovered that the face masks and hand sanitizers were not available”. 

In response to the criticism, Minister for Secondary Education, Naloca Lyonga suggested that parents have a responsibility to provide their children with protective masks while the government struggles to keep up with the demand. 

Photo: VOA