 | |
| Riso Riz |
700 km of horrible roads and beautiful people,
fears and hope, prayer and charity
Central Africa, albeit slowly, is being
infected by the Coronavirus. Today the 7th and 8th cases have been confirmed,
both of them not travel related.
Last week, the President of the Republic
announced the first measures to prevent the spread of Covid-19 (travel and
travel restrictions, closing of schools, ban on meetings and celebrations with
more than 15 people). We too have had to adapt. On Sunday we limited the number
of those present, but we managed to broadcast Mass at 8.30 on the community radio
of Bozoum, "La voix de Koyale".
On Monday I
dealt with the purchase of rice, oil and tomato paste, soap, gloves, masks and
bleach to bring to the parishes.
Tuesday
morning I left early, thus starting the tour that led me to meet 10 parishes
(Bossemptele, Baoro, Bouar - Cathedral, N.D. of Fatima and Wantigera -, Bohong,
Bocaranga, Ndim and Ngaoundaye).
In each
parish we had a meeting (still maintains physical distance as well as limiting
the number of attendees), in which I first presented the disease (symptoms,
precautions, contagion, risks), asking them to take this problem seriously.
Then we organized, as believers and as Caritas, to ensure assistance and food
for the most vulnerable (elderly, poor, sick and disabled).
Despite the
fear, there is still a great desire to be ready, and to be able to react
proactively to the virus.
Unfortunately,
it will not be easy to prevent the spread of the virus: life here is lives
outside, and there are no financial resources to spare (so you need to go out,
sell or buy, and get busy to get something for the family).
The
measures taken are not taken very seriously: although the number of confirmed
cases are rising rapidly in Cameroon (284 cases today), and despite
restrictions on travel from Bangui to other regions, buses continue to come and
go regularly from Bangui at the Cameroon border, thus allowing the spread of
the disease.
The tour
will end tomorrow, Friday, after the meeting here in Bocaranga, from where I
write.
4 days of
travel and meetings, 700 km of roads, that are often very, very bad, but also
the joy of meeting parish priests, nuns, lay people l, all who are concerned
above all with others. Fathers and nuns, young and sometimes old, and no one
who poses the problem for himself, or who thinks about leaving, but all very
worried about what can happen if the virus spreads on in Central Africa.
And all
determined to challenge the virus, with the few weapons we have available:
prayer, charity and hope.
 |
| Bossemptele |
 |
| Baoro |
 |
| Bouar |
 |
| Bohong |
 |
| Bus Bangui - Bouar - frontiera con il Camerun, e ritorno, nonostante le restrizioni le bus Bangui-Bouar- frontière avec le Cameroun (et retour) malgré les limitations |
No comments:
Post a Comment