The business
community has admitted that their businesses have experienced gradual loss and
slug in speed following the country’s first case of the world’s novel deadly
disease that triggered panic among the public.
The Gambia
recorded first covid-19 case after a lady in her 20s returned to the country
from the United Kingdom and tested positive.
However, many
have said detection due to the epidemic and banning of all public gatherings
and closure of schools in the country have hindered businesses.
Speaking to
The Point in an interview at Westfield Junction on Thursday, Amadou Sarjo
Jallow, a food vendor, said his business began to slowdown immediately after
the health minister announced the detection of the deadly disease in the
country.
“What I was selling before is quite higher
than my current sales, because my customers are not coming anymore to buy
food,” he said.
The food
vendor said detection of covid-19 in the country has generated fear within the
public, leading many to avoid buying food from vendors.
He added the
slowdown of his business will affect him drastically because he depends on this
petty job to sustain his family.
Khaddy
Touray, food seller, also expressed similar sentiment on the poor market that
has knocked the country, noting that her customers have not been coming to buy
food since the declaration of the pandemic in the country.
Ebrima
Jaiteh, commercial driver, said the epidemic has seriously hindered the work of
drivers as the traffic is rapidly declining.
He added that
the closure of the universities and schools has reflected on the traffic
because passengers are not many within the municipality compared with when
students were going to school.
“Our work is
much better when the students are going to school. And since government closed
the school, the traffic got worst. Now we will work the whole day yet we find
it difficult to get the required money to deliver to our bosses (cars’
owners),” he lamented.
Fatou Jadama,
cook for Kit Kat Restaurant, also said: “I used to sell about D20, 000 daily.
But now I sell less than 5000 in a day. We are really losing drastically.”
Madi Mangan,
economist and researcher at The Gambia Bureau of Statistic (GBOS), said the
pandemic will cause a rise in demand for basic necessities, decrease demand for
hotel and restaurant, accommodation, arts and entertainment services.
“We will
expect a fall in the tourist arrivals, decrease impact of manufacturing
services, a rise in health care expenditures and a general decline in the
output of the services sector of the economy,” he said.
