Fellow
Gambians,
Distinguished
Viewers,
As
the coronavirus pandemic continues to be of grave concern globally and
nationally, my government continues to remain vigilant and steadfast in
reviewing and intensifying measures to prevent, contain and manage its spread
within our borders.
In
less than two weeks after my last address to the nation, the situation in the
country has changed. As confirmed by the Ministry of Health, so far, more than
thirty tests have been conducted. Three have been positive, and one is still
inconclusive. Only one person among the confirmed cases in the country passed
away.
With
regards to the unfortunate incident of the people who absconded, almost half of
them have been traced. The public is advised to report any person who has
escaped quarantine, and to be aware that hiding suspects who pose a threat to
public health is contrary to the laws of the land.
Fellow
Gambians,
We
know with certainty that mass movement of people and public gatherings are
threats to the containment of COVID-19. Therefore, in addition to the measures
mentioned in my last address, decision has been taken to impose new
restrictions.
To
curtail our exposure to infection through close interactions, my government has
taken the decision to scale down government operations. Accordingly, all Heads
of government institutions, parastatals, private enterprises and other
institutions have been instructed to scale down their activities, with minimal
staff to perform basic services. Where feasible, staff can work from home.
At
the private sector level, all non-essential services are declared suspended
with immediate effect. Only essential services, such as emergency medical
services, sale of essential items and commodities, will continue.
I
have been informed that there are enough supplies of essential commodities for
the immediate and medium-term needs of the country. In this light, strict
measures have been devised to curb attempts to hoard or hike the prices of
basic commodities.
I
implore the business community to continue to cooperate in stabilising the
prices of all basic commodities.
Gambians
and all residents in The Gambia must understand that business is not as usual,
hence the need to take strict measures to protect ourselves.
Fellow
Gambians,
Distinguished
Audience,
On
18th March 2020, I signed the first Proclamation in relation to the pandemic,
which was published in the gazette under Section 34(1) (b) of the 1997
Constitution. In it, I declared that a situation exists, which may lead to a
state of public emergency if it persists.
I
have now signed a second Proclamation declaring a state of public emergency
throughout The Gambia.
Under
this Proclamation, the following measures shall be enforced with effect from
today, 27th March 2020: -
1.
All non-essential food outlets in all markets and enclosed shopping areas shall
be closed.
2.
All non-essential public places, such as bars, cafeterias, cinemas, video
clubs, gymnasiums, museums, night clubs, public swimming pools, events halls,
casinos, gaming parlours and sporting venues shall be closed.
3.
All public places of worship shall be closed.
4. The number of people attending any social
gathering, such as weddings, naming ceremonies and funerals shall be restricted
to a maximum of ten people.
5.
All public transport shall carry half of the total number of passengers they
are allowed to transport by law.
Invoking
the powers invested in me as President under the Emergency Powers Act of the
Laws of The Gambia, this is one of a series of Regulations I have signed,
starting with the freezing of prices of all essential commodities to prevent
any form of hoarding.
Already,
an Essential Commodities Committee has been set up to monitor and enforce these
Regulations. In this regard, I appeal to the goodwill of the business community
to respect these measures for the general welfare of our people.
Notwithstanding
the restrictions, the general public is reassured that essential services will
continue. These include services provided by banks, petrol stations, traders
and vendors in food and basic commodities in the markets, supermarkets and
corner-shops.
However,
this must be done in accordance with the WHO recommended social distancing
guidelines.
Fellow
Gambians,
My
government has approved a Five Hundred Million Dalasi (D500 Million) emergency
fund, which the Ministries of Health and Finance will work on for disbursement
and use to fight the COVID-19 menace.
I
seize this occasion to specifically thank the private sector, as well as all
philanthropists and individuals for their financial support.
Your
contributions will go a long way in complementing Government’s efforts in this
joint fight. I thank you all.
On
behalf of everyone, I also commend the national response teams, committees and
frontline workers for their invaluable service to the nation. While my
government continues to take leadership to guide the entire process, I extend
deep appreciation to the wider community, including religious leaders, civil
society, all Gambian citizens and people living in the country, for their
cooperation.
In
a similar vein, I call on all political party leaders and civil society
organisations to work with Government in the fight against the COVID-19
pandemic. All efforts and cooperation during these trying moments are
appreciated very much indeed.
Once
again, I urge all of us to take the pandemic as a serious threat which requires
all our collaborative and cooperative efforts to overcome. Let us cooperate
fully with the health and security authorities so that measures adopted to stop
the spread of the coronavirus can be effective.
This
implies maintaining high personal hygiene standards that include regular hand
washing, avoiding hand shaking, observing social distancing and all other
regulations and measures necessary to fight COVID-19.
Long
live The Gambia!
Thank
you for your attention.
