By Sarjo Brito
The Director of Health Promotion and Education Modou Njai has said one of the hardest parts in the fight against coronavirus is that people do not believe the disease exists and that it is ‘just some global politics’.
The outbreak of the novel coronavirus has been accompanied by endless theories, making the fight harder for the front-liners.
In an exclusive interview with The Fatu Network, Modou Njai said it is time for Gambians to come to terms with reality and stop flouting the measures that are put in place by government.
“Now we are seeing a bit of resistance. People are now resisting to our message. Our messages were appropriate, timely and do not cause any havoc to the population. What we have been sending out is that we want them to adhere to the measure and participate in the fight against the pandemic. We are seeing a different trend and that is resistance and doing what they feel is okay for them and their communities,” Mr Njai said.
According to Njai, the government’s response will not be compromised and the health ministry would work with its partners to strategise and ensure there is some sort of enforcement.
Even though The Gambia has only registered two locally transmitted cases so far, Njie admits there could be more undiscovered ones as people have been deliberately hiding family members who have travelled from affected countries.
For this battle to be won, the support and corporation of the general public will be highly needed he added.
