By Omar Bah
As part of efforts to fight against the deadly coronavirus, Citizens’ Alliance (CA) has launched what it calls ‘Mask Alliance’ to distribute over 10,000 face masks nationwide to contain the spread of Covid-19.
“This initiative is part of CA’s resolve to help the government in curbing the spread of this virus that has affected our daily lives,” the party said in a statement.
The Gambia has a total of 1,346 cases and 32 deaths. CA said the numbers involved are alarming and demands that the country come together regardless of party affiliation.
“Covid-19 is a dramatic global public health challenge many countries including economic, and political crisis and The Gambia is no exception. Togetherness is the key to national development — and we call on all stakeholders and possible donors to join CA on this journey and contribute to this humanitarian cause,” the party added.
The party said it is gravely concerned that the country’s entire healthcare system will be overrun with very little resistance.
“With this very scary but real possibility in mind, we believe that it is time for us to come together, bring our resources – human, technical and material – together, to support our government’s efforts to deal with this virus. Infection rates are rising drastically, causing the elderly and the most vulnerable to succumb to this virus. Our morgues or ‘dead houses’ are filled with reports of chaotic scenes
“Families cannot bury their loved ones in the ways of their traditions due to the elevated level of threat this virus poses. The Gambian citizenry has been left with panic and uncertainty as reports of unpaid frontline workers and a large scale of infected medical personnel have flooded the airwaves. There have also been reports of poorly managed treatment centers due to an understaffed medical response team,” CA added.
This, the party added, is why they recognize that “now is not the time for blame games but time for concrete solutions that will preserve lives and safe life.”
“CA has been at the helm of participation since the beginning of this pandemic; from our interventions to provide relief to vulnerable communities in the rural areas, to our sensitizing campaigns via radio, outdoor and social media, to the distribution of masks in the Greater Banjul Area, amongst many other supporting roles to strengthen our response to this virus “However, at this juncture, it is prudent to welcome a joint effort from every single Gambian citizen, from all walks of life and in all capacities, knowing that the Government alone cannot stop this escalation,” CA said.
CA urged all political parties, NGOs and CSO’s, groups and associations and every well-meaning stakeholder and partner in development to come on board and add value to the efforts in curbing this pandemic.
“Please note that this initiative is a collective effort relying on the unification of all concerned Gambians to help save our people and our nation from the devastation of this pandemic – it’s beyond politics. The stakes are too high for us to let partisanship or any other differences get in the way of saving our nation. Every single one of us has been affected and it will only get worse if we fail to seize on this opportunity.
“With this collaborative effort, our ideas along with combined resources could be used simultaneously and distributed with the guidance of the Association of Resident Doctors. What we can do during these times begins with our attitude towards this pandemic and we all have to do our part.”
