Hundreds of passengers who flew into Cameroon for short term stays, family and business trips are now stuck in the country with no idea when they will return. Prime Minister Dion Ngute has effectively closed Cameroon’s borders as one of the preventive measures to slow down the spread of the corona virus. As of Friday March 20, 2020, when this diary was completed, Cameroon had 21 registered cases, all of them imported by passengers who flew into the country either knowing or with no clue they carried the virus. Here is the account of one such passenger now stuck in the country. We will call him Bob to protect his identity.
Wednesday March 12 2020. London. United Kingdom
I travelled to London from Leeds where I am based to get a visa from the Cameroon High Commission in London. Last time the High Commission was in the news, a Francophone female activist attempted to burn herself alive in front of the embassy in protest at the daily killings caused by fighting between separatists and government forces in the North West and South West regions. When I got to the embassy, it was quiet. I’d checked online for the cost of a visa. £110 for three months. Consular officers quietly add another £40 to that if you want a same-day service. That is not mentioned online so I pay £150 for my visa. I have a feeling their boss might not know about this additional charge. That is a debate for another day.
I pick up my visa at 3.30pm same day in the afternoon
Friday March 13 2020. Manchester Airport.
I check in and pass security at the airport. The UK probably has one of the most intensive body and hand luggage checks of any airport on earth and trust me, I have flown to the US and they do not do such thorough searches. The remarkable thing I notice is passengers flying out are not screened for the corona virus which has already hit the UK by then. I make this remark to a fellow passenger who remarks; “why should they bother? If we do carry the virus, we are taking it abroad. Not their cup of tea”. Brilliant answer I thought. Inside the plane, a handful of passengers wear face masks. They either already have the virus or are terrified of catching it. I suspect the latter because we don’t have any unnecessary wheezy coughing throughout the two hours flight to Brussels.
In Brussels (Belgium) we again get on a new flight for Kinshasa with stopover in Douala in Cameroon. Again, no checks for the virus or high temperatures of passengers in Belgium, an indication someone might be carrying the virus. Again, just a handful of passengers have face masks of the more than 350 passengers on board.
During the flight to Douala, we are handed the normal arrival card to fill with information about where you are coming from/going to, some passport details and your profession. However, we get another new card to fill in information that could be used to detect if anyone has some of the symptoms of the corona virus like high temperatures, cough, cold etc. We are also asked for information where we will live in Cameroon and contact numbers of our hosts or hotels. There is no way to check if the information passengers provide on that form is true. I just mark “no” to questions about possible symptoms. Of course I don’t think I do.
March 13 2020. Douala Cameroon
After more than six hours flight, we get to the Douala airport shortly after 6 pm. This is when things get interesting. As soon as the plane lands, we don’t even get into the airport proper. When we step off the plane and just a short distance away are about eight health officials waiting for us. First, the corona forms we filled inside the plane are taken from us; we get two drops of hand wash which I think is too small and like Oliver Twist, extend my second hand for more. The guy ignores me and moves to the next passenger. All the health workers are wearing face masks. We get tested for our temperature with a funny looking thermometer that looks like a gun. The two teams each have one and just point it at your face to get your temperature. Mine reads 36.6 centigrade and I am waved through. I think anyone with 38 degrees centigrades and above temperature will be isolated and tested later for the corona virus. Temperatures are a sure way to have an idea if someone is carrying the virus. However, with a 14 day incubation period, testing temperatures is not the best way to know if someone really has the virus. You need a lab confirmation test which is not possible in the circumstances because of limited time available. I have no idea we had any cases on our flight because I would have heard about it.
I cannot fly out of Cameroon on March 31 which was my departure date thanks to Prime Minister Dion Ngute. He held a crisis meeting at the Star Building and closed all borders. I now hear that will be for two weeks renewable. I suspect the borders will be open after 28 days at least.
March 20, 2020. Yaounde. Brussels Office.
I went to the Yaounde Office of Brussels Airlines to reschedule my flight. At the entrance, I was given hand wash. After cleaning my hands, my temperature was taken by the guard and it read 35.9 degrees centigrade (just about normal) I was then cleared of Corona then and given No. 22 and went inside.
I learnt air Brussels has also cancelled all flights till April 21, 2020. So the earliest time I might fly back will be April 22 or 23, 2020 – that is if I succeed to reschedule our trip in time.
Numbers to call to reschedule Brussels Airlines flight
+237222234729
+237679536600
+237699505522
Email SalesYaounde@brusselsairlines.com
Wish me luck. I need it
Bob is a pseudonym.