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REPUBLIC OF CAMEROON Peace-Work-Fatherland
PRIME MINISTER'S OFFICE
SECRETARIAT GENERAL
REPUBLIC OF CAMEROON Peace-Work-Fatherland
SECRETARIAT GENERAL
GOVERNMENT CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC (COVID-19) RESPONSE STRATEGY
SPECIAL STATEMENT BY THE PRIME MINISTER, HEAD OF GOVERNMENT 24 MARCH 2020
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# Ladies and gentlemen,
On the instructions of the President of the Republic, His Excellency Paul BIYA, this Tuesday, 24 March 2020, there was a meeting of the Inter-Ministerial Committee in charge of evaluating the implementation of Government’s response plan against the spread of the coronavirus pandemic in Cameroon.
At the end of the presentations and discussions during this meeting, two major observations were made:
Firstly, the coronavirus is being spread in our country.
Field investigations carried out by the specialized services of the Ministry of Public Health, as well as the sampling of several suspected cases confirm sixty-six (66) positive cases of COVID-19, that is, fifty-one (51) cases in Yaounde, twelve (12) cases in Douala and three (3) cases in Bafoussam.
As a result, the cities of Yaounde, Douala and Bafoussam are currently the three hotbeds of the pandemic in Cameroon.
May I remind you that a week ago, when I first spoke on the evolution of this disease, ten (10) people were affected by this virus in our country.
At this juncture, I regret to announce that today, Cameroon has recorded its first case of death from the coronavirus.
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The second major observation is that certain restrictive measures prescribed by the Head of State on 17 March 2020, with the aim of stemming the spread of this virus in our country, are unfortunately not respected by most of our compatriots.
These measures include:
- the systematic closing of bars, restaurants and leisure spots from 6 p.m.;
- the prohibition of gatherings of more than fifty (50) people;
- the ban on overloading in buses, taxis and motorbikes;
- urban and inter-urban travel restrictions;
- the regulation of consumer flows in markets and shopping centres;
- compliance with the rules of hygiene and the social distancing laid down by the World Health Organization.
It should be recalled that the coronavirus spreads rapidly in places of high human concentration, and through close contact.
In this regard, persons who refuse to comply with these restrictive measures, under any pretext whatsoever, endanger not only their own lives, but the lives of others and the entire nation.
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The indiscipline, carelessness and even recklessness that have been observed in recent days are contributing greatly to the spread of this epidemic in our country.
That is why, on the instructions of the President of the Republic, the restrictive measures taken on 17 March, as part of the implementation of the Coronavirus Response Plan, will now be applied with the utmost rigour, and offenders will be punished.
As a reminder, Article 260 of our Penal Code punishes with imprisonment from three (3) months to three (3) years anyone who, by his conduct, facilitates the transmission of a contagious and dangerous disease.