CI-NEWS

Border control: Medical team at work.

2020-04-05

No: 479

Border control: Medical team at work.

Medical personnel are permanently stationed at the borders of Cameroon with Gabon and Equatorial Guinea to guarantee the safety of persons getting into the country. This is to ensure the virus does not spread to citizens of the South Region.

The Medical team at the Kye-Ossi border with Cameroon was installed since March 13, 2020 as a preventive mechanism and reinforced following the measures prescribed by the Head of State. Ella Ella Antione, a State Registered Nurse and his colleague Simon Etong arrive at the border ^post at 7am in the morning and leave at 7pm. They examine all persons from Gabon getting into Cameroon for trading. Ella Ella Antione said a total of 402 persons have been examined with no positive case of the coronavirus recorded. Those examined are cargo truck drivers and the business persons who own the goods. Generally, each cargo truck has at most three persons on board. “Business persons coming from Yaounde and Douala are checked at the District Medical centre before they cross the border to Gabon. Other transporters who have a temperature of more than 38° are sent for proper medical follow up,” he explained. The same medical checkup procedure goes on at Abang Minko’o in Ntem Valley Division of the South Region border with Gabon. The stationed medical personnel say with the border zone not being so busy as the case with Kye-Ossi, the number of persons examined are not many.

`At the border with Equatorial Guinea, where the medical staff is led by Francis Bidoung, a State Registered Nurse, not many persons use the border. Since the announcement, he noted, those who have been examined are Cameroonians from Equatorial Guinea who expressed their will to return to Cameroon. He said an average of four persons a day returned to Cameroon from Equatorial Guinea but the number has reduced. “One Cameroonian had a high temperature but when referred to the hospital, it was discovered it was malaria,” he stated, adding there is almost no movement at the borders between Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea but they are still there. At the District Medical Center, the Chief Medical Doctor, Dr. Abondo Ebengue, said two major measures have been taken at their level to curb the spread of the virus; “We have secured an isolation ward with a capacity of containing six persons at a time and a consultation ward. Another measure is the installation of medical teams at the border points,” he explained. The medical doctor said no positive or suspected case has been registered thus far. However, he noted, one or two cases of high fever have been recorded but were quickly contained.

Meantime, sensitisation continues to all persons crossing the borders and the general population. Hands and vehicles of all transporters are sanitized and lectures on personal sanitation repeated to them. Posters on the coronavirus are put up in several places to ensure the message gets to the maximum number of people. Water and soap are made available at the borders and hospitals for the washing of hands. Every vehicle entering into the town of Ebolowa is disinfected and the temperatures of passengers taken. All these measures are to stop the spread of the virus so that activities can return to normal within the shortest possible time.

Drastic drop in commercial activities in Kye-ossi due to anti-COVID measures

Trade in goods has witnessed a decline in markets at the Kye-Ossi border town of Cameroon in the South Region. The locality which shares boundaries with Equatorial Guinea and Gabon before the outbreak of coronavirus enjoyed a flourishing trade and the exchange of goods as a transit zone. With the closure of the borders as a measure to curb the movement of persons and subsequently avoid the spread of the pandemic, the President of the Republic, Paul Biya, in his capacity as current President of CEMAC Heads of State instructed continuous trade with member states without prejudice to the health check of drivers.

On that strength, trade continues with CEMAC countries but with a slower steam.

A visit to markets in Kye-Ossi showed a timid atmosphere. The turnout was not usual with many shops closed due to little or no buyers. Markets which usually closed between 6pm and 7pm now close at 4pm. Business persons who sell second-handed shoes come to the market in the morning and by 10am, they close their stores and retire home in search of other income-generating activities. The Vice President of the association of shop owners at the Kye-Ossi main market, Gibrille Afoudo, who sells kitchen utensils, said business is on a serious decline, a situation which they have never experienced. “Selling to feed the family is very difficult now. If I sell too much in one day, it is FCFA 2, 000. It is not easy”, he cried. “Our main customers are Gabonese and Equato-Guineans. With the closure of the borders to persons, we are suffering. We just come and sit in the market, exchange pleasantries and wait for 4pm to close and go home. I do not even yet have a plan B”, he stated.

For the measures taken to maintain hygiene, mobile fabricated taps are installed at the entry and exit points of the market for the washing of hands. Council and health officials constantly sensitise the population on the importance of hand washing which is the most basic of all ways in combating the spread of the virus.

As per the goods which mostly get into Cameroon from Gabon, bread, biscuits and sardine are most common. Most often than not, Gabon trucks which transport good stuff to Gabon return empty for re-loading.

Nothing at the moment enters the Cameroonian market from Equatorial Guinea. Goods from Gabon upon arrival at the border are being examined by officials of the Ministry of Trade to ensure they meet up with consumption standards. Customs officers verify the payment of taxes and police immigration officers see to the fact that administrative and legal document are in order. For better control, the borders are opened twice a day, in the mornings (8am-9am) and in the evenings (6pm-7pm) for the passage of trucks loaded with goods either to or from Gabon. All goods entering or leaving the country are duly registered in quantity and quality by officials of the Ministry of Trade.

While the prices of goods coming from Gabon maintain same rates as before, those which used to come from Equatorial Guinea have witnessed a slight increase. Equatorial Guinea, it should be recalled, closed their borders on November 11, 2019 and the outbreak of the pandemic further reinforced it. As a result, trade relations are experiencing a suspension. Drinks which used to be imported from Equatorial Guinea have therefore witnessed price increase of FCFA 50 to 100 per bottle and FCFA 500 to 1, 000 per dozen depending on the type of drink.

Culled from Cameroon Tribune

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Border control: Medical team at work.