By Adama Makasuba
Kanifing Municipal Council is set to distribute 50,000 locally-made facemasks to 18 markets within the municipality, an initiative launched to help prevent the spread of Covid-19, a respiratory disease cause by coronavirus.
The council will start the distribution by giving out 5000 facemasks through markets’ committees to give them to market vendors and customers/shoppers coming to the markets.
Speaking at the launching, Ahmed Talib Bensouda, Lord Mayor of Kanifing Municipal Council said “stopping the spread of Covid-19, the council is launching an initiative to distribute 50,000 facemasks in the KMC’s to 18 markets.”
He said through the markets’ committees in the municipality immediate after the launching 5000 facemasks are to be distributed through the markets’ committees in the municipality.
According to him, the council wrote to the Health Ministry to identify scientific specifications for locally made facemasks which included “having multiple layers of fabrics, material should be breathable with hydrophobic properties to keep droplets inside the masks, and shape of the mask should entirely cover mouth, chin and go up to the ears.’
“The locally facemasks can be worn multiple times and users are encouraged to wash the facemasks daily with warm soapy water, if possible, the public is encouraged to have two facemasks, so one can be worn while other is washed,” he said.
He urged the public especially the market vendors to always use facemasks as well as urged them to exercise social distancing to help fight against Covid-19.
Representing the Ministry of Health, Musa Camara, Regional Principal Public Health Official, described the initiative as “monumental” saying “everyone is vulnerable as Covid-19 is concerned because Covid-19 doesn’t have status.”
He however called for the community’s support in fight against coronavirus as he revealed that his Ministry is putting up interventions in place with partners to fight the virus.
Ndey Fatou Njie, founder of TIKA who spoke on behalf of tailors lamented on the negative impact of the virus.
“The initiative has enabled us the tailors not only to produce facemasks to help prevent the spread of the virus but also earn revenue for ourselves and employees,” she disclosed.
The Gambia’s coronavirus is at the peak of 24 cases with 9 recoveries and 1 death.