Former Barcelona and Cameroon striker, Samuel Eto’o, has said he will distribute supplies to 100,000 people to help support efforts to combat coronavirus in his home country.
Eto’o runs a foundation in the country and has promised that it will be used to “share soaps, sanitisers and several food items to 50,000 households in four cities – Douala, Buea, Yaoundé and Bafoussam.”
An additional 50,000 protective face masks will also be supplied – specifically for taxi drivers in the country.
“This is a serious humanitarian crisis and only via proper sanitisation and the distribution of health kits can we curb the coronavirus,” read a statement from the Samuel Eto’o Foundation.
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Cameroon’s government continues to take measures to curb the spread of the coronavirus, including closing down the central African nation’s borders and suspending all sports activities.
On 5 April, Cameroon’s health minister Manaouda Malachie reported that 650 people had tested positive with the virus. A total of 165 have recovered while there have been 17 deaths.
With Cameroon’s top and second-tier football championships suspended, several players have taken to social media to plead for help amidst growing financial concerns.
Around a thousand footballers from 44 clubs of the country’s men and women’s domestic championships are also expected to benefit from the move via food items and basic necessities.
Eto’o, a four-time African Player of the Year, has previously taken to his social media to give fans advice on following World Health Organisation tips on fighting coronavirus.