CI-NEWS

Government tightens measures as air borders to fully reopen.

2020-07-01

No: 508

Government tightens measures as air borders to fully reopen.

Prime Minister Dr. Joseph Dion Ngute has ordered that all appropriate steps be taken by the Ministers of Transport and of Public Health so as to fully prepare the country for the complete reopening of air borders in the days ahead.

Speaking last Thursday while chairing a videoconference meeting of the inter-ministerial committee charged with spearheading the fight against the pandemic, the Head of Government insisted that adequate measures must be taken so as to ensure that people coming into the country are coronavirus-free, adding that the protection of the health of Cameroonians remains a priority for government.

One of the recommendations in this regard is that anyone travelling by air to or from Cameroon must present to the relevant airport authorities, an authentic certificate of not more than three days old, attesting one as having a Covid-19 negative status.

During the meeting, the Minister of Transport, Ernest Massena Ngalle Bibehe, was specifically instructed to take practical steps at the various airports, including the putting in place of protective logistics, to make sure that all passengers are safe. Ngalle Bibehe also gave the PM an idea of work his ministerial department has been doing so far, in collaboration with the civil aviation and Cameroon airport authorities, in preparation for the full resumption of international fights. The Minister of Public Health was also told to ensure the installation of rapid test centers at the various airports and take other steps to see to it that any potential Covid-19 victims are given appropriate medical attention, and quickly.

The various ministers who attended Thursday’s weekly meeting, each in their respective domains, made a synoptic review of the evolution of the Covid-19 situation in the country, and what plans they have in a bid to bolster the fight against the pandemic.

On the issue of care for Covid-19 patients, the PM emphasised the need for public health authorities to accelerate their speed in transferring them to isolation care centres as soon as possible after they have tested positive.

The meeting was also an opportunity for the situation of the respect of barrier measures in bars and restaurants to be evaluated since the lifting, in April 30, of the order restricting these spots from operation beyond 6:00pm.

The weekly meeting chaired by the PM is a rendezvous during which government efforts to fight the coronavirus pandemic are reviewed and new steps taken to strengthen the country’s national response strategy. Despite concerted efforts, the number of Covid-19 infections remains on a steady rise, with close to 12, 000 cumulative positive cases.

Last week, the World Health Organisation warned that Cameroon was among the three “hotspots” of the virus on the African continent.

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Government tightens measures as air borders to fully reopen.