Covid is a disease of the community, it is an existential threat against all of us and therefore we are all responsible for its spread or containment. Whether your proposition or supposition on the causes and effect of the pandemic is wrong or right we have sufficient time for that postmortem. In the heat of this battle all should be on one side and that side is against the not only the virus but also treacherous activities and words that help the enemy.
What formidable enemy do we need to discover our common humanity? We are confronted with a perfect enemy .. Invisible, Lethal, Fast, Immortal, and strategic. This is a unique opportunity to come together and fight or we will perish collectively. We watch in horror and post in cyber space the horrible accumulation of the dead and dying whilst the Red Cross take action. We watch whilst the youth of the “Vous,” that we constant berate take action to fumigate the cities and neighborhoods. Whilst we isolate and operate in cyber space, we forget true heroes, frontline workers who confront Covid every day at their own risk and peril.
Let us not resort to being bitter, the entire community is in distressed and we require all hands-on deck. We require everyone to be a leader in their homes and community by spreading knowledge and showing kindness.
To castigate the teams that collect the bodies, bury the dead, maintain the mortuary, fumigate the streets, our Doctor, Nurse, hotel staff and Frontline workers is unfair and counterproductive. These men and women have risen to the occasion and at times for less than $5 a day. They are our soldiers and need all support because they are already at their human limits Providing sustaining technical expertise and take supportive action. For the opinion leaders help focus attention for all Gambians individually and collectively could adapt their ingrained habits to improve our long-term health and survival.
We all know that we are faced with structural limitations in the Health infrastructure, the country is faced the leadership task of mobilizing the Gambians to make critical behavioral changes. This is the critical role I want you who is reading this piece to focus on the behavioral and culture changes to suppress the spread and flattened the curve. There is no cure nor vaccine and this is critical action to take.
The community and all of us, you, me our family and friends are faced with the adaptive work of figuring out which specific changes to make and how to incorporate them into our daily lives. Lets innovate ways to figure out in our homes, at work etc what needs to be done to reduce distress of neighbors and love ones and do it. We must regulate distress, support people to make those changes when their resources alone do not suffice, where their profession is their lifestyle.
In this important work we must stop the blame game, there will be time enough for the if we live long enough. each of us must look at ourselves and make changes. Except the lord builts the house we build in vain, May Allah protects and guide our action.
I quote
“Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself.”
-Rumi
The writer, Edirissa Mass Jobe, is the President of Gambia Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
