The managers of some hotels in Douala hosting travellers who arrived from countries reporting COVID-19 cases on instructions of the Cameroonian Government are said to be demanding the payment of bills for these travellers as the later prepare to leave the hotels today.

According to reports, for few days now, Managers of some hotels in Cameroon’s economic capital Douala, requisitioned by the Government for the confinement of passengers who arrived the country from Coronavirus infected France have been asking the Government to foot the bills of these travellers.

Unofficial sources say since these travellers were placed in quarantine in these hotels on March 17, no franc has been given to the hotel managers.

Fourteen days after they got to these hotels, those of the travellers who tested negative for the COVID-19 are about leaving the hotels today and those who tested positive have already been isolated.

In a declaration yesterday, the Minister of Public Health, Dr Malachie Manaouda disclosed the Government of Cameroon had a FCFA 630 Million bill it is still to foot for the lodging and feeding of these quarantined travellers.

“For quarantine persons, since they arrived, it is the state that pays for hotel rooms, breakfast, lunch and dinner. So they are generally covered. Besides, we have a bill of 630 million FCFA, whether in Douala or in Yaounde, which the State will regulate in all ways…” Dr Manaouda reassured hotel managers.

Since the outbreak of the pandemic in Cameroon, reports have mentioned that the Government spends a lot both on quarantined persons and especially on confirmed ones which as at this Tuesday morning stand at a hundred and ninety-two