The Gambia has until now registered just under forty cases of the dreaded coronavirus. This is a huge number considering the fact that the healthcare system is somewhat weak.
Most countries have been overwhelmed by this virus which, as yet, has neither vaccine nor cure. Many have seen deaths in the thousands and have been unable to cope with the huge number of cases being registered on a daily basis.
In the West, many of those countries which were initially overwhelmed have been able to bend the curve and have begun to relax some of the stringent measures they had earlier put in place. This has been going on gradually and many others have sought to follow suit.
In The Gambia, some relaxation was anounced earlier and people began to go back to their normal lives. That presents some challenges which have to be confronted if the country is to come out of this virus unscathed. The normal has changed and people must adopt to the new.
Video clubs have now been reported to being always overcrowded seeing that the football season in many European countries has resumed. This is alarming and something needs to be done about it immediately. Otherwise, the number of cases may increase exponentially.
Some truck drivers are crisscrossing between the country and Senegal as if everything is normal. This cannot – should not – be allowed to continue. Measures must be taken to ensure that the safety measures put in place by government are enforced. What is the essence of a rule if it is not enforced?
The government and people of the Gambia must understand that COVID-19 is real and that it poses serious dangers to the very existence of society. Everything must be done to limit the number of cases.
