This archive report was first published on 4 June 2020.
Yaounde, Cameroon, June 4, 2020 - Cameroon's government is facing intense scrutiny over its response to the COVID-19 pandemic, with critics accusing it of foot-dragging and incompetence.
The country's official case tally has risen to nearly 6,600 in less than three months, including 200 deaths, the third-highest number of infections south of the Sahara.
Experts warn that COVID-19's ability to spread quickly in countries with weak health systems and poor testing makes it a significant threat, despite the relatively low case numbers compared to Europe and America.
Despite forecasts that cases would peak in June, schools and universities were suddenly told to reopen this week, prompting teachers and parents to express concerns that safety preparedness was not ready.
Cameroon's first case was reported on March 5, but it wasn't until two weeks later that the authorities set down restrictions for the country's 25 million people.
Opposition critics have repeatedly accused the government of failing to take the threat of COVID-19 seriously, as many other African countries imposed radical containment measures early on.
Albert Ze, an economist specializing in health issues, told AFP that the management of the epidemic had been 'disastrous.'
'We missed the opportunity to contain the virus at the very beginning,' he said.
President Paul Biya only appeared publicly on television on May 19, more than two months after Cameroon recorded its first case, after being pressured by the opposition and the World Health Organization (WHO).
Health Minister Manaouda Malachie has downplayed the situation, saying the case figures 'should not be a cause for alarm... so far the government has been in control of the situation.'
However, experts warn that the government's response has been too little, too late, with key areas such as social distancing and border control being lax.
Cameroon did not close its land, air, and sea borders until March 18, 12 days after the first 'imported' case, and weeks after many other African countries.
The government was also slow to implement social distancing measures, limiting gatherings to 50 people while other countries on the continent set a maximum of 10.
No lockdown has ever been imposed in Cameroon, and restaurants, bars, and nightclubs were only forced to close after 6pm.
Despite the late response, the impact of those measures was 'immediate - Cameroonians understood there was a major problem,' said Professor Yap Boum II, an epidemiologist and head of a Doctors Without Borders (MSF) research centre in Yaounde.
A month after the start of the epidemic, the authorities required wearing of facemasks, and this too helped strengthen awareness and tighten control over the virus, he said.
However, on April 30 the government abruptly eased public transport restrictions and allowed bars, restaurants, and nightclubs to reopen in the evenings, leading to a relaxation of the population and a subsequent surge in cases and fatalities.
The reopening of schools and universities has also been attacked as premature by teachers' unions and parents, who have taken to social media to voice their fears.
