On Tuesday March 24, 2020, South West Regional Delegate for Basic Education, Dorothy Motaze Atabong, during an evaluation meeting in the hall of South West Governor’s Office expressed concerns that the government has closed schools for pupils to stay at home to avert the spread of Coronavirus. But the pupils were increasingly seen in local markets in Buea with their parents hawking. The next day, the Mayor of Buea, David Mafani Namange, took to the local markets in Buea chasing out pupils. He told parents that schools were not closed for children be playing around, visit friends and hawk in markets but for them to stay home. That any child seen in the local markets again will have his/her goods seized and will be arrested with the parent.

The council has equally been sensitising marketers to sell their food items in hygienic conditions. On this, all the food vendors are expected to display their food items on benches and not on the floor. “Immediately after rain, we don’t know what runoff carries. It might have washed carcasses up the mountain and the consequences might be dangerous on our health,” he explained. Mayor Mafani Namange observed that following previous sensitisations, most traders have made benches but many still have very low benches. To reduce congestions in markets, the Buea Council has ordered that all markets in Buea should operate on daily bases.

Public Address System Tours Municipality

Many inhabitants in Buea still hold that COVID is a hoax in Cameroon and it is a plot by the government to get money from international donors. Others have insisted that the sickness does not kill blacks. As such, they are free from the virus. To bring the reality of the deadly virus to the population, the Buea Council has put in place a public address system that travel the entire municipality to educate the population. Headed by Musonge Oscar, Public Relation Officer of Buea Council, the team is education the population on the reality of the deadly virus. He presented the number of lives that the deadly virus has claimed worldwide. To avert the virus in Buea, he is pleading with the population to respect gov’t 13 commandments.