06/07/2020
Good Morning Mr. President: No complacency over COVID-19
Mr. President, it is very sad that the Covid-19 cases are on the rise in the Gambia when countries are relaxing on the control measures and lockdowns.
The number of Covid-19 since June has been increasing on a daily basis and The Gambia has now registered 57 cases with two deaths. Out of the total number of recorded cases, 84% were imported; 28 active
cases and 5 probable cases, 464 under quarantine at the time of writing this piece, medical sources said.
Mr. President, the situation is alarming and Gambians should not downplay this killer disease.
More campaigns of awareness should be done, and people should continue to respect the WHO rules by using face masks, sanitisers and social distance in all public places.
Declaring a state of emergency without your government making sure that these measures are taken by force to avoid getting community transmissions could lead to a worst situation.
Mr. President, if cases continue to increase on a daily basis, then the government should start considering home quarantine, as nobody can predict how long the pandemic will last.
Most of Gambia's cases are imported which means more work needs to be done with the land and air borders.
Mr. President, the directives given by ECOWSAS for all borders to be opened by
31 July 2020 needs to be looked into and proper measures put in place to avoid putting the lives of Gambians at stake.
People travelling without urgent reasons should be sent back as many movements will be expected especially during the coming festivity days of ‘tobaski’.
This will help the government in spending money on quarantine only; which is not sustainable and further prevent community transmissions. The media which is on the forefront should be assisted financially
without delay.
Mr. President, we commend the TRRC for the reconciliation organised between prison officers and victims. It was a very good and appreciative move and hope mo
