Banjul
North National Assembly Member (NAM) Ousman Sillah, who also doubles as
chairperson of the Select-Committee on Health, Saturday took to the streets to
sensitise his constituents on how to prevent the infection and spread of
covid-19 disease outbreak in The Gambia.
Walking
in the streets on foot with a Public Address system (PA), the Banjul North
representative mounted on a vehicle and passed through every street in the
constituency with his message of calling on the people to embrace frequent hand
washing and social distancing rules being recommended by health officials.
“I
urge every one of you to pay heed to the WHO and Ministry of Health advice of
frequent hand washing with soap and social physical distancing to prevent the
transmission of the covid-19 disease,” Hon. Sillah said.
He
also appealed to his people to stay at home and indoors to avoid being infected
or to transmit the covid-19 disease to others as it is already in The Gambia
with four confirmed cases with one death.
“Covid-19
is real, highly infectious and can kill very fast. It can infect anyone and
does not discriminate between children or adult, man or woman, rich or poor,
black or white. It is a disease that does not have legs or wings to travel but
is transmitted from one person to another or from an object to a person,” he
said.
He
explained to his electorates that, “there is no vaccine or drugs for cure
covid-19 but the good news is that we can prevent its transmission and spread
by adhering to the recommendations of WHO personal hygiene and social
distancing.”
He
emphasised the importance of prevention as the most effective and only way out
for countries like The Gambia to defeat the dreadful and deadly disease as has
been proven in other countries, including China, where the epidemic first
began.
The
Banjul North representative was advising the people to “avoid going out much as
possible, avoid gatherings, stop shaking hands, do not cough or sneeze on
people or raise your bent elbow when coughing or sneezing.”
He
explained that people have to avoid or wash their hands every time after
touching door handles, car doors, keys, money or any surface that people touch
with their hands. He also advised that they should be frequently cleaning the
door handles, mobile phones, remote control devices with cloth soaked in soap
(detergents) or hand sanitizers.
He
advised his people to physically stay apart from each other in their homes,
markets, offices, NAWEC points of sale (POS), banking halls, car parks,
vehicles and any place where crowds gather.
On
the social gatherings and street corner vous, the Banjul North NAM said, “I am
urging you to avoid or stop these street vous and do your ‘Attaya’ brewing and
drinking in your homes as the glasses (cas) and cigarettes you share could be
sources of transmission of the Covid-19 disease.”
Hon.
Sillah appealed to parents to keep their children out of the streets and ensure
that they stay at home and indoors at all time.
