By: Nyima Sillah
At least 100 Senegalese soldiers among the ECOMIG serving in The Gambia that were tested positive of Covid-19 are currently quarantined in a military hotel in Senegal receiving treatment.
But the Health Ministry’s Head of National Disease Control Program, Sanna Malang Sambou, said his Ministry has yet to have clear information about the group of soldiers, but noted that the Ministry is in connection with the Senegalese government over the issue.
“These are military contingent that were living in the country and they are going back home so they are not in The Gambia. It is not like civilians issue where you can pick up information very quickly, so we have no idea about the rest of the militaries,” he said.
He added that the “Ministry is doing its best to talk to the authorities in Senegal but there is no official linkage in The Gambia with Senegal for more information relief.” He quickly added that even, should that happen it is not to his knowledge “as I only have contact with the incident manager in Senegal and he cannot be in position of every information as this is a military information,” he emphasized.
He continued that “the Ministry has no idea on the clear report as they have sent message to the Incident Manager in Senegal to know what precisely happened. But since then they have no information. The incident happened outside the country, not that we get clear information and what kind of test were performed to confirm that some of them are positive.”
Mr Sambou however said his Ministry is working tirelessly to trace out where the soldiers were posted in the country to help stop further spread of the virus.
He explained that “we were made to understand from the Deputy Incident Manager in Senegal that 208 of the soldiers were tested positive as the number could increase from 100 to 208 because they were 600. But all the 208 people were asymptomatic and the Deputy himself has no information about that as he also read it from the newspaper but assure that those people are taking into quarantine in a Military Hotel in Senegal.”