VOX POP On COVID-19: Market Vendors Decry Stand- Still On The Business Sector Amidst Coronavirus Outbreak

Photo: Ali Wally

 By Ousman A. Marong

The widely discussed COVID-19 known by many as Coronavirus made its way to the tiny West African country (The Gambia) through a UK based Gambian in her mid-20s, who visited the country on 14^th March 2020 and was tested positive of the disease.

The roaming reporter was out and about to gauge the opinion of the businesspeople amidst the COVID-19 outbreak.

Ali Wally, a market vendor at the busy Serrekunda market said the fear of COVID-19 and the rapid spread of the virus is taking the world at random.

“Market has never been boring in The Gambia like this. People have found it very difficult to move around especially around the market areas since the outbreak of the Novel COVID-19. We do not have a lot of budgets and we don’t have a lot of revenue. Since I cannot stay indoors for a month I have to go and look for something to sustain me,” said Ali Wally.

He observed that nobody in the county can stay indoors for a full day without looking for means of survival. He queried why Gambians never take things seriously unless it starts to harm.

He quoted a saying from the Prophet Muhammed (SAW): “Do not leave a country in which there is a disease or calamity and also those who are there should also remain in.” He urged all and sundry to take all preventive measures and to remain hygiene.

“The sky-rocketing prices of commodities are due to the fact The Gambia does not produce anything and had to depend on import products. When there is nothing coming in, of course, businessmen and women will increase the prices of commodities to table the scale of preference,” he highlighted.

Bafoday Touray, on his part stated that business is all about customers, adding that people are not coming to buy as usual since the outbreak.

                                  
“You can sit here for about three to four hours without receiving any customer. The news about the outbreak is causing a lot of panics.”

He urged all and sundry to listen to health experts and heed to their advice.

Photo: Louis Gospel

Louis Gospel, a Nigerian businessmen residing in the country described the condition in the country as very serious and stressful.

“Nobody can enjoy the system. The way the business is going in The Gambia is not good. The government must find a solution to end the virus. Our children are no more going to school. Everywhere is closed, it’s the school who should give us the education and if the government shuts them down where are we heading now?” he asked.

He added: “We've been experiencing a lot of sickness such as HIV and AIDS, swine flu, Etc and by the grace of God we have conquered them all.  All these viruses come and go. When Hiv/AIDS and Ebola came, we panicked and now we have forgotten about them,” he concluded.

Gambia Joins Senegal To Celebrate World Malaria Day

PHOTO Two Health Ministers. (Photo Credit Kebba Ansu Manneh)

By Ousman A. Marong

The government of Gambia through the Ministry of Health has on Sunday 5^th May 2019 joined their Senegalese counterpart to celebrate World Malaria Day.

The event was organized by National Malaria Control Program office with the funding from Global Fund the Gambia; USAIDS; Catholic Relief Services; Trust Bank; GTBank; etc. The Celebration marks the distribution of over 11 million lasting insecticide-treated bed nets to various communities within the two surrounding satellite villages of Senegal and Gambia. The event was jointly celebrated by the Gambia; Senegal and Guinea Conakry. The celebration was held at the Senegalese border 'Kerr Ayib' under the theme "Zero Malaria Starts with Me."

Dr. Ahmed Lamin Samateh Gambia’s Health Minister revealed that in 2018 the ministry of the Gambia and Senegal have signed a convention to foster collaboration in eliminating the Malaria virus across the sub-region. He said the Malaria initiative project was established strategically to harmonize and intervene in the virus.

He disclosed that research by MRC has indicated that there is a general decline in Malaria by 50 percent. He outlined that admission at hospitals and health facilities has also dropped up to 74 percent and death attributions to Malaria also dropped to 90 percent. He further revealed that the Malaria parasite prevalence has also dropped from 4.0 percent in 2011 to 0.2 percent in 2014.

"The Malaria prevalence has declined to 0.1 percent in 2017”, said Hon Minister Samateh.

In his part Abdoulie Joof Sarr the Senegalese Health Minister underscored his ministry's readiness to mount various campaigns and also distribute mosquito nets, adding “the fight against malaria is not yet over.”

He said these efforts could be the best way to prevent mosquito bites. He opined that environmental sanitation is still a challenge in most communities which are dotted with dirty drains behind houses, weedy compounds, and haphazard disposal of used tyres and plastic containers as well as stagnant waters behind the bathroom, amongst others. These he said are factors contributing to the Malaria virus. “We continue to build houses without any consideration for accessibility and fresh air circulation"; he stressed.

He referenced that The Medical Director of Health Service at GFG, reports that malaria scored 40 percent out Patients Department (OPD) attendance. He said children under five and pregnant women were mostly affected due to convulsions and preventable deaths.

He adduced that the only way to achieve "Zero malaria starts with me”, adding one has to play his/her part in the Preventive strategies, which he said includes environmental hygiene and the use of mosquito nets that could scale-up efforts to eradicate the disease.

In his part the Ebrima K. Dampha Governor North Bank Region (NBR) hailed the two heads of states in their stand to eradicate the disease.

He said, “it should be everybody's business in the fight against the eradication of the Malaria virus.”  He added that the fight against malaria is very challenging, therefore everyone should take part in ensuring that the epidemic end.