National and international news roundup – March 19, 2020

Two Coronavirus patients in Cameroon have been tested negative after receiving treatment. The Minister of public health says though discharged from the hospital, they will still be monitored in their houses for a few days. The news has been welcome by Cameroonians.

Three new Coronavirus cases detected in Cameroon. In a release, the Minister of public health Dr Manaoda Malachie says the patients arrived Cameroon on the 17th of March. Cameroonians have been called upon to re enforce Coronavirus preventive measures.

Thirteen Coronavirus preventive measures given will be implemented for 15 days renewable. In a release signed by the Prime Minister some ministries have been given specific tasks to perform to stop the spread of the virus.

Despite having closed the borders to prevent Coronavirus, Cameroon will continue relations with countries in the CEMAC Zone. Prime Minister Joseph Dion Ngute signed the release today.

Election of the Mayor of Maroua 1 in the Far North region has been cancelled. An administrative court handed down the verdict yesterday because the Mayor-elect Amadou Amidou was found guilty of corruption and violation of a circular from the central committee of the CPDM party. The complaint was tabled by a sure Yousof Isa designated by the CPDM party hierarchy to head the council.

An unusual number of buyers today at Douala central market and other supermarkets in the city. These buyers say they are purchasing food items in preparation of an eventual lockdown to tackle Coronavirus in Cameroon. The Minister of trade says measures have been put in place to stop artificial scarcity and high prices of necessities. As of now, the government has not announced plans of a national lockdown.

The network of South West regional Civil Society says the government of Cameroon has been speaking to the wrong party, reasons why mitigating efforts to resolve the armed conflict in the North West and South-West regions of the country have failed to yield fruits. Speaking in a meeting in Buea, the network of Civil Society actors says the government should see them as partners not stumbling blocks to peace. The actors came together at the launch of a project in Buea for the South West region.

Cameroon has suspended
media coverage of National Assembly activities.
This is according to a message from the Chief of communication at the lower house of Parliament, who however failed to outline reasons for the decision.
The ordinary session of Parliament has been convened for tomorrow March 20th 2020, following a decree signed by the House speaker-Honourable Cavaye Yeguié Djibril.

The Court of Arbitration has ordered municipal elections rerun in some parts of the North West region of Cameroon.
The Municipal councils concerned are; Bafut-Mezam Division, and Benakuma in the Menchum Divisions. The decision comes less than 24 hours after a similar decision affected two councils in the Far North region, notably Maroua I and Bourha Councils.

South West Governor Bernard Okalia Bilai has called on the population of the region to respect the sanitation measures against Coronavirus, taken by the government. He was speaking in his office wednesday, March 18th 2020 while demonstrating the hands wash exercise and other standard preventive measures.

The Minister of Public Health has said three new COVID-19 cases had been confirmed in Cameroon. According to a communique made public thursday, March 19th 2020, the three were passengers on board flight Air France (AF 900) that landed at the Yaounde Nsimalen International Airport Tuesday, March 17th 2020, at 8:30 PM, from Roissy-Charles-De-Gaule with 198 passengers. On behalf of the government of Cameroon, Manaouda Malachie called on persons and families from risk countries to be responsible, respect and observe the 14 days quarantine period before engaging in their activities, or come in contact with anyone, to curb the spread. The announced three new cases bring to 17, the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Cameroon. Public health Minister in an outing on state media, March 18th 2020 said the number of confirmed Coronavirus cases was at 17 across the Country.

A daughter of Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Burhari and First Lady Aisha Buhari is self-isolating after returning from the UK. Mrs Buhari said their daughter had not shown any symptoms of coronavirus, but health officials advised her to go into self-isolation as she had returned on Thursday from a “high burden” country.

South Africa will build a fence along its border with Zimbabwe within a month to prevent people infected with coronavirus and undocumented migrants from entering its territory, Public Works Minister Patricia de Lille has said. The construction would be part of the emergency measures that the government had decided to take after President Cyril Ramaphosa declared the virus a national disaster on Sunday.

One of Tanzania’s most popular rappers, Mwana FA, says he has tested positive for coronavirus. Mwana FA, whose real name is Khamis Mwinjuma, said when he had returned from South Africa he started developing a fever and symptoms of the virus. Tests confirmed that he had Covid-19, the respiratory illness caused by the virus.

The authorities in Nigeria’s commercial hub Lagos have announced a ban on public gatherings of more than 50 people in a bid to curb the spread of coronavirus. “We are limiting gatherings and events to no more than 50 people and appropriate social distancing must be observed,” Lagos state governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu said on Twitter. The state government said schools would also be shut from Monday. Lagos is Africa’s biggest city, with a population of about 20 million.

Senegal is to close its airspace from midnight on Friday until 17 April, the government has announced in statement. It means no flights will operate to and from the country’s biggest airport in the capital, Dakar, but domestic flights between Dakar and Ziginchor will still go head, as will cargo flights, medical evacuations and specially authorised flights. So far 36 people have tested positive for coronavirus in Senegal. Two of those people have since been declared virus-free after treatment, while the other 34 remain in hospital.

(Foreign news source: BBC)