Covid Gambia, a civil society group set up to fight against the coronavirus pandemic, has said President Adama Barrow’s National People’s Party launch on Saturday is a coronavirus superspreader event.

The group said it advised the authorities against holding the political event at the Independence Stadium amid the surge in coronavirus cases.

“Despite the call by a number of key players in the Gambia, including the Association of Resident Doctors (GARD) advising against a mass gathering at the Independence Stadium to launch the President’s political party, it is disheartening to see that the NPP still pressed ahead to organize the potential super spreader event. 

“This display of total disregard for the health and lives of Gambians is both unconscionable and irresponsible, especially coming from the government of the day,” a statement signed by Annas Bah, official of the group said.

“We urge the government and the ministries not to be complacent and to take the appropriate measures to stop the spread of the COVID-19. 

“All large public gatherings must be stopped and social distancing protocols observed in all official functions. The government must lead by example.”

“Since the confirmation of the first case of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in The Gambia, on the 16th March 2020, COVID Gambia (CG) has been working with various partners to help curb the spread of the coronavirus. 

“We have done so through Information dissemination, sensitisation to the public and being one of the largest producers if not the largest producers of reusable face masks over 100,000 to date.”

“Last year was a difficult year not just for The Gambia but every country around the globe. We saw how our health services were brought down to its knees due to the country’s poor health infrastructure. We lost over 100 Gambians to Covid-19, one life too many.

“We are now seeing another wave of the COVID-19 and this time with a variant that is more transmissible than the first. Many countries have made provisions to make sure that their citizens are protected,” the statement added.

Reporting by Adama Makasuba