Gambia For All has said the nature of the coronavirus beast is such that The Gambia needed to maintain its sights on the medium to the long term for ‘coming out of the tunnel’.
The party in a statement said managing the COVID-19 crisis required mobilising the nation’s resources for the ‘fight to decisively win this do-or-die war’.
The Bakary Bunja Darboe led party said: “To date, we hold to the same conviction, even where we remain keenly aware that, as a country, we are ill-equipped with a low level of preparedness. Hence we still face a very real risk of a large scale outbreak that can easily overwhelm us, in its rapid spread through the contagion effect.
“Gambia For All lost no time in expressing support for the prevention and containment measures announced by the public authorities, while we called on the Government to urgently review the national budget with a view to redefining priorities and freeing up state resources, ahead of any help expected from the general public, as well as from abroad. Ever since, we have witnessed an outpouring of a spirit of solidarity expressed through generous support provided by Gambians at home and abroad as well as by our many foreigner friends, a development we applaud.
“Today, we welcome the Government’s decision to provide support to households. If handled properly, this will bring much needed relief to the communities. Similarly, we applaud the hardworking frontline medical personnel, the security officers and all those working tirelessly to stop the spread of the disease. We admire them for their hard work and sacrifice. We sympathise with all victims of the Covid 19.
“But our situation remains extremely difficult and pre-occupying; we are still not yet out of the woods. To say so is to admit reality, and not to seek to cause undue alarm. The nature of the beast is such that we need to maintain our sights on the medium to the long term for coming out of the tunnel. Experiences around us, and elsewhere in the world, should edify us.”
