A handful of the public have abandoned wearing face cloth masks which helps to suppress the spread of coronavirus infection from person to person.

Over 100 people have already died of the virus and thousand others infected since it emerged in the country last March.

Malamin Seghore said he is tired of wearing the World Health Organization’s recommended face cloth mask saying people have been wearing for months in the country and nothing has changed.

“We have seen it in the news and programmes whenever there is an event some of them don’t wear face masks so how do they expect citizens to wear face masks? They should do what they preach so that citizens can follow their footsteps,” he said.

But according to Awa Barry, she is not wearing a face mask because she is an asthmatic patient. 

“We all know how asthma patients suffer without proper inhaling of oxygen so I cannot protect myself and risk it at the same time. 

“I think people should exercise more of social distancing and the use of sanitiser especially in the market than 24hrs use of masks in such tight places,” she said.

Abucarr Njie, a student, said he only wears a face mask in school. He said: “sometimes when I wear it after school my friends will tell me ‘remove this thing on your face Covid-19 does no longer exist in the country’.”

Reacting to the public reaction to face mask, health director at the Ministry of Health Modou Njai said: “My ministry is still working hard to advocate for the use of face masks and other key preventive measures because we don’t want the country to go through a second lockdown like other countries around the world.”

“Covid-19 cases cannot be predicted as the rate is not specific, sometimes it increases and sometimes it goes down but that doesn’t mean that people should relax the use of face masks,” he added.

Reporting by Adama Makasuba