The move came a day after Bakau registered its first confirmed case. The 27-year-old, had no travel history and is currently in isolation at the treatment facility.
Meanwhile, The Gambia has now recorded a total of 17 covid-19 confirmed cases; nine recovered and released, one death while seven are currently at the treatment facility.
Lamin Darboe, executive director, National Youth Council (NYC), said young people have been at the forefront in the fight against the global pandemic, even when The Gambia had not registered a single case.
“The young people were online, they were also using other platforms to sensitise the people about the virus and that is the same momentum we are still using,” he said.
Darboe reminded that the young forms the majority of the country’s active population, affirming that if their potentials are properly harnessed and nurtured, the deadly pandemic will soon be a thing of the past in the country.
He equally outlined that the council has embarked on numerous sensitisation activities in the country.
“The Ministry of Health will tell us the community they want to go to either to conduct testing, sample collection or contact tracing and we will go to that community ahead of them to conduct house-to-house sensitisation,” he assured.
In Bakau alone, he revealed that they’ve mobilised people from the community itself as they want to avoid inter-community transmission of the virus.
“We want people to stay in their communities and educate their family members, friends and other people within their community,” he said.
“Currently we are putting up efforts by mobilising our youths’ organisations to put in strategies as to what next after covid-19 as some of them are into entrepreneurship,” he said.
Tida Njie, who volunteered to do the test, explained that covid-19 is real and advised people not to joke with the disease.
Lamin Dibba, councillor for Old Bakau Ward, thanked the Ministry of Health and partners such as National Youth Council for the move.
Dibba equally commended the people of Bakau, especially those who volunteered to do the test.
Adam Faye, a resident of Bakau New Town noted that once the country has started to register local transmission, it is important for people to go for voluntary test and know their status.
Yankuba Bojang said the coming of the health officials to Bakau is timely.
Sheriff Gomez, a former Minister of Youth and Sports in the past government and a resident of Bakau encouraged people of Bakau to undergo voluntary test, urging the Ministry to do similar tests in other communities of the country.
Yankuba Bojang and Jao Massary expressed similar sentiments.
