The Divisional Officer of Bamenda II, Akwo Tanyi has warned heavy sanctions will be meted on those who fail to respect measures put in place by the government to avoid the spread of the COVID-19.

The DO was speaking at the weekend in Bamenda while chairing a coordination meeting to better organise the fight against the virus in his sub division

He paid particular attention to drivers whom he said are still over loading in defiance to the social distancing measure recommended by the government.

“Avoiding overloading should not be a matter for debate because it is first and foremost wrong and we shall we shall put in place repressive measures and we will be strict with the law,” Mr Akwo Tanyi said.

He also stressed, the population must put on nose masks beginning today as required by the government and called on traders and the market to ensure the social distancing measures are respected.

In attendance at the meeting were representatives of the National Union of Workers of the Land Transport Sector-SYNESTER who called on the administration to put accompanying measures in place in order to help them cut their losses.

For the past weeks, authorities in the North West Region have been taking various measures to help fight the spread of the virus, notably regularly screening exercises at the entrance to the region as well as disinfecting major streets and markets in Bamenda.