“Making people believe COVID-19 exists a major challenge”: Spanish Nun Serving in Cameroon

“Our congregation has been present here for 104 years and people, in general, trust us,” Sr. Ana said.

“This means that our mission as religious sisters, as missionaries, is evangelization which goes hand in hand with development and the fight against the misfortunes that prevent the good health of the population,” the Spanish-born nun added.

Cameroon's COVID-19 statistics as of May 5 stood at 2,077 cases with 953 recoveries and 64 deaths. The country remains the hardest hit in the Central African region, according to a report.

The government has announced relief measures taken to mitigate the economic shock provoked by the measures put in place to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.

While places of worship have remained closed, bars and restaurants can now open; taxi and transport agencies have continued their normal operations, amongst other accompanying measures taken by the government April 30.

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According to the Spanish nun, since the first case was confirmed in Cameroon on March 6, focus has been on protection and preventive measures.

“For the moment, we have a 27-member staff and every day we work with masks and wear gloves,” she said and continued, “When we finish work, we take a shower, change clothes and then wash them at 60 degrees for 30 minutes.

Even though no cases have been detected at the Catholic Health Centre, Sr. Ana says “they have intensified protective measures for the personnel of the hospital and for patients.”

“We have put at the entrance of the hospital, mandatory hand washing and taking the temperature of all patients who arrive to detect those with fever,” the nun said and added, “handwashing and the wearing of masks is obligatory for all our patients."

She further said, “Once those with fever are detected, they are given priority, either for consultation or for examination.”

 “The staff of the hospital also work with masks, gloves that are changed every time it is necessary, as well as the hydro-alcohol gel that is present in all consultation rooms,” she said adding that “in laboratories, all the staff work with the necessary protective equipment.”

Speaking about the lockdowns in some African countries as a means to curb the spread of the disease, she said the measure is “almost impossible” on the continent because many people struggle to survive in the difficult economy.

“People have to go out to feed themselves. Even with public transportation, it's hard to stop the population,” she said.

Sr. Ana also says confinement during this period of the disease has been for her “a time of grace.”

“For me, it is a great moment of spiritual renewal by doing some spiritual readings more calmly, so I have a lot of time to do that,” she said.

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She also expressed her gratitude for the efforts of the Church and the faithful during this period saying, “I would like to appreciate the work that the Catholic Church is doing during this time to help fight the pandemic. I believe that it is a great movement of the Church that is developing, in solidarity with all the victims of the coronavirus.”

“I also thank all the faithful for the spiritual support they have given to one another. This makes universal communion and fraternity felt at this time,” she said.

Jude Atemanke is a Cameroonian journalist with a passion for Catholic Church communication. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from the University of Buea in Cameroon. Currently, Jude serves as a journalist for ACI Africa.