By YusuphaJobe
Some business people especially small scale business owners earning their living from their small retail shops in Greater Banjul Areas dealing with non-essential commodities have appealed to the government of The Gambia to reconsider its stance over the issue of the State of Emergency, thus, they are living from hands to mouths.
President Adama Barrow on Friday 27 March, 2020 made a proclamation on the public State of Emergency announcing series of restrictions as measures to prevent the possible spread of coronavirus in the country which includes closing of non-essential business entities in the country.
Sampling opinions of some of these traders on the matter has revealed their displeasure over the State of Emergency despite it is as a result taking a precautionary measure to curb and avoid the rapid spread of the COVID-19 in the country.
Muhammed Drammeh is one among the traders selling textile materials, he said closing of some businesses entities classified to be non-essential has opened them to huge financial lost. He said the president’s proclamation on the State of Emergency should have time frame indication by giving them chance to operate but introduce opening and closing times.
“We are just appealing to the government to reconsider the decision on the non-essential goods. What the government should have done was to announce time of opening and closing of all shops that engage in the sale of non-essential goods.
Haddy Drammeh in her part said president proclamation on the public State of Emergency without allowing people to settle has put many into confusion and unpreparedness to face the proclamation within a short period of the announcement.
“People were not even prepared to face the outcome of the President’s announcement on the proclamation. This is because we were not given any time to prepared ourselves as citizens before the coming of the proclamation,” she said.
She added that there is no other place where people in her shoes can survive from as it is only the small businesses that are source of their living “because right now I have no other place to depend on financially to feed my family and help in doing other vital functions at home,” she said.