The Gambia government has issued new directives ordering the mandatory wearing of facemask and physical distancing. The country experiences an upsurge of contamination in the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to the Ministry of Health of The Gambia, the new regulations shall be reinforced effective Saturday 17th July 2021. Furthermore, the government of The Gambia warns that with the upsurge in the number of Covid 19 cases, anyone found violating the new regulations shall be liable to pay a fine of D1000.
This week’s COVID19 situational report in The Gambia showed an overall 13% new case increase compared to the preceding week’s data, with a significant increase in admission.
“All persons in public places shall wear face masks at all times. By this Order, a public place includes any road, highway or premises that the public is permitted to access,” the Ministry of Health has warned in a press release.
The government of The Gambia asks that all means of transportation strictly observe the new directives. “All drivers of motor vehicles and operators of ferries, boats, or vessels shall ensure that passengers wear a mask before boarding the vehicles, ferries, boats, or vessels. In addition, all persons intending to travel across The River Gambia and other navigable water bodies must wear facemask from the crossing points onwards.”
However, “Persons with underlying health conditions, such as persons with medical conditions that make it difficult to wear face masks and persons who are hearing impaired or needing the visibility of the mouth for essential communication, are exempted from wearing face masks, or children under the age of two,” the government of The Gambia has informed in the press release.
The police shall be deployed to enforce the new regulations as per the new directives of the Gambia government.
