Cameroon strengthens COVID-19 measures ahead of AFCON kick-off

Yaoundé, Cameroon | Xinhua | Cameroonian authorities said on Tuesday stricter anti-COVID-19 measures will be applied before, during and after the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) which begins in the Central African nation on Sunday.

More staff and equipment have been deployed to entry points, lodging facilities, competition sites and fan zones in the country to enforce preventive measures such as the mandatory wearing of masks in public places, maintaining social distancing, and washing or sanitizing of hands frequently, authorities said during a cabinet meeting chaired by the Prime Minister Joseph Dion Ngute.

“Concerning access to the stadium you have to be vaccinated and you have to do rapid test every 24 hours or PCR test every two days. This condition should be observed at the fan zone and AFCON Village and other populated places. We have the staff and the equipment,” the country’s minister of Public Health Manaouda Malachie told reporters after the meeting in the capital, Yaounde.

“We will do everything possible to ensure AFCON is free of COVID-19,” he added.

As of January 1, Cameroon had recorded 108,676 COVID-19 cases, according to Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.

AFCON will take place in Cameroon from Jan. 9 to Feb. 6.

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Xinhua