An opposition leader in the Gambia has attributed the alarming increase of Covid-19 cases in the small West African nation to lack of political will and lacklustre implementation regime of health guidelines.
Mai Ahmad Fatty of the Gambia Moral Congress (GMC) said while the country’s Ministry of Health has some of the most dedicated Gambians committed to public health, their enthusiasm in the fight against the pandemic has not been shared by many officials across government.
The Gambia has registered 170 cases of Covid-19. Five people have died while 58 have recovered from the disease. But despite the president declaring a public state of emergency and the government spending millions of Dalasis on health official, official guidelines such as social distancing are being totalled ignored.
Places of worship have opened while thousands of people continue to interact in the markets and political meetings without observing health guidelines.
“No one in this country will take preventive measures or comply with health advisory, as long as the NPP continues with massive political gatherings and its brazen onslaught against the government’s own SoPE Regulations, by putting politics first above public health,” Mr Fatty said.
He added: “From our perspective as GMC, the pandemic has grave implications for the country, particularly urban dwellers. COVID-19 will affect employment, labour market operations, income inequality and access to services. The overall goal of the policy thrust should be to contain the spread of the disease, and mitigate its impact to a point where it will no longer threaten public health.
“In effect, we believe the main policy thrust should aim at removing all barriers to prevention and containment. The key to this is improving national understanding and acceptance of the principle that all Gambians must take responsibility for the prevention of transmission, and the care and support for those infected and affected.”
