The Ministry of Health has issued a serious warning to coronavirus positive patients who have decided on their own to evade quarantine and also to the incoming travellers who refused to be tested and urged them to immediately report back to the nearest treatment or isolation center while any of these people failed to do adhere to warning will face a drastic punishment.
In a statement signed by the Director of Health Programme and Education, Modou Njai said: “It has come to the attention of the Senior Management of the Ministry of Health that there are confirmed positive COVID-19 cases that are currently at large and interacting with the public. Out of the total positives confirmed between 20th January and 25th January 2021, there are 40 confirmed positive cases that have refused isolation or have absconded treatment centres. Similarly, the management is also aware that there are large numbers of travellers who recently arrived in The Gambia from hotspot countries that have refused to abide to official protocols and/or report to the health authorities for the mandatory test upon arrival.”
“The Ministry continues to treat these matters with utmost and grave concern and thus, the Ministry is hereby giving an order and ultimatum to all those concerned, that they are required to report themselves to the health authorities with immediate effect and failure of which will lead to serious consequences, including the publication of names and identifying information of all those at large. Therefore, all positive cases should self-report by calling the following numbers (1025; 3011261; 3632098), and those travellers who entered into the country and are yet to undergo sample collection must immediately report to M**** Hotel or call the aforementioned numbers for further clarification.
“The Ministry would like to stress that this serious and ruthless misconduct will no longer be condoned under any circumstances. Anyone found not willing to cooperate with COVID-19 regulations will have their names and identifying information published on the media and thereafter, drastic measures will be taken against anyone that is non-compliant,” the statement added.
“Evade COVID-19 Health Officials for either transfer to isolation centres, or for testing upon arrival from hotspot countries. Abscond the designated isolation centres; Refuse to accept their confirmed positive results and/or Refuse to comply with The Ministry of Health’s Case Management Policy and Guidelines upon notification of their positive coronavirus status. Several efforts have been made in the past month by the Ministry of Health’s COVID-19 Response Team to reach and/or convince the above mentioned individuals to voluntarily comply, however all efforts have turned out futile,” he said.
