Tourism Minister Bah was speaking at Dankunku during President Adama Barrow’s Meet the People’s Tour with inhabitants of the area.
The tour is a constitutional requirement with a view to meeting Gambians across the country in order to discuss issues affecting them, while he outlined government’s plans in addressing those challenges.
“The whole country and the world is aware that The Gambia has been given the green light in the U.K. and that the British government is allowing people to come to The Gambia and spend holiday in the country. In fact, other European countries are also following suit,” Hamat Bah added.
“You are free to come to the country because it’s safe. It’s a place where you can come and stay for your holiday. President Barrow immediately ordered for the government to act following the pronouncement of the British government. He ordered the Ministry of Health and its technical staff including the Ministry of Tourism and Culture to start discussing the issue,” he said, claiming that the two ministries concluded their discussion the previous day.
“President Barrow wants to see that the youth of the country are employed again. He wants to see the tourism industry come back again. In fact, it has been one of his major concerns. Therefore, the two ministries have agreed upon consultations that, effective from 1st of October, any visitor who is coming to the country and that the individual has a Q&R Code and a certificate indicating that the person is fully vaccinated, the individual can come to the country without any TRC test, without any rapid test and the individual will not be quarantined,” he stated, adding: “You are not requested to go with a PRC test certificate and you will not be subjected to rapid test and you will not be quarantined provided that you present a certificate showing that you are fully vaccinated.”
Minister Bah further stated: “We know the airline also will not board anybody without a certificate proving that the person is vaccinated. Further to that, we also met the British High Commissioner yesterday because he also wanted to see what the Gambia government will do to reciprocate the gesture the British government has done for us.”
“The British government has also agreed to lift some of the conditions of those carrying diplomatic passports. They only certified a few countries in the world and they will be sending a team in the country in consultations with the Ministry of Health to look at the country certificate. If they are certified with that, then Gambians will also enter Britain without any test certificate,” he posited.
