This worry lingered in the mind of this reporter, after seeing anxious kids gather in their numbers to get school items provided by the Bamenda 2 Council, in respect to the Academic year 2020/2021.
The Existence of the Coronavirus since early March 2020 has been a great preoccupation for Medical personnels and Administrators both at the national and at the Local levels.
Reason why on march 17th 2020, over 13 measures were put in place by the Prime Minister Head of Government, Chief Dr. Joseph Dion Ngute to curb the of the disease, which still holds as rules till date.
The government is carrying out projects via it's diffirent structures including messages via Mincom, to promote back to school amidst Covid19, some authorities in an effort to promote back to school in the NWR, are neglecting the practice of covid-19 barrier measures.
In the Northwest Region, recent reports on Covid-19 shows that 845 positive cases, 36 deaths and 720 recovered cases have been recorded. According to a medical expert, the level of epidemic saturation has been attained and that over crowding is not compatible with Covid norms.
The Mayor of Bamenda 2 Council, Mayor Chenwi Peter failed to ensure that the environment where the kids gathered to recieve the didatic materials for school ressumption, be airy and safe for them.
The kids were packed like sardine, the the kids were sweating, babies too were in the hall, no air conditioned system or fans.
Jammed was the hall with crowd and most pupils, students were not conscious about the use of their face masks or implore the respect of social distancing.
The council had to ensure that these measures are enforced and kept, but the anxiety to facilitate a successful back to school, made the organizers ignore that aspect.
Children are expected to fill the classrooms on Monday October 5th 2020 and are also expected to remain safe and healthy throughout the academic year. The teachers will want to teach healthy and strong children not stand in empty classrooms.
It is inline with these thoughts that H.E Felix MBAYU,
Minister Delegate to the Minister of External Relations, In Charge of Cooperation with the Commonwealth ensured that buckets and hand sanitizers be provided to teachers, pupils and students, so that the preventive measures be in check.
More sanitizers and buckets are needed, to facilitate the washing of hands in schools at the grassroot levels, especially as many begin to feel that the virus has suddenly dissappeared and no longer pay attention to the preventive measures.
"I don't think it's ignorance. Majority have intentionally decided to believe it's finished while some still think it's not real. The many unanswered questions of why some people who had close contact with positive cases aren't sick as well, has contributed to people thinking it's all a lie." Health reporter,Maikem Emmanuela
"From personal research, the irregularities in figures makes everything doubtful for many, Coupled with that fact that no one knows when this pandemic will end, many people have decided to just live with it. They compare it to malaria and AIDS" she added.
Sensitization must continue so that Cameroonians in other regions and those in the Northwest and Southwest regions, whoes kids have been deprived of education for 4years, don't fall sick due to ignorance. The Children must return to the Classrooms on October 5th 2020 and remain safe from Covid 19.
"It is interesting to know that Bamenda has recorded it's first re-infected case this month" Maikem Emmanuela tells civiclens.
By Ndefru Melanie
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