We welcome the new stringent measures taken by the government to curb the spread of the corona virus. The curfew and the heavy fines for breaking the regulations would be enough to deter people from the observed patterns of negligence, especially by those who continue to go out at odd hours and refusing to protect themselves, thus putting many others in grave danger.
We continue to flag a critical concern though. How much of the population is adequately sensitised and educated on these dangers and the logic of the lockdown? Surely for many within the greater Banjul area, it would be much easier to implement the measures.
However, the closing of praying grounds, the ban in cultural gatherings, and the restrictive calendar on the market openings and other related matters could be difficult to implement for people within the rural area.
This could be considered by them as a threat to their livelihoods when they are greatly disconnected from the realities of the ravages of the corona virus. The local radios, the health workers and volunteers should help sensitise as widely as possible, and maybe, just maybe, we will find a very responsive population without resorting to these heavy fines or other punitive measures.
We noticed that His Excellency the President delegated the Government Spokesperson to disseminate his statement last Tuesday night. We were really hoping that he would do this himself and we still urge him to do so. Many lives are lost since last week and most of those who have passed are victims of the corona virus.
Gambians need to hear the voice of their President speak to them to mark the seriousness of this pandemic and its effect on our population. We urge the President to do so without delay.
We commend the Mayors of Banjul and Kanifing for making a brave video appearance to appeal for people to take the Corona virus pandemic seriously. We hope and pray that these voices are heard and amplified by others so that together, we will win against this danger…