By Nelson Manneh
The Minister of Tourism and Culture, Hamat N.K. Bah, has urged Gambians to take the COVID-19 vaccines as the pandemic has come to stay.
Minister Bah made this statement during the handing over of financial assistance to nine hunting groups in Banjul on Wednesday, 22 December, 2021.
“COVID-19 has come to stay with us, therefore we need to protect ourselves is to take the vaccines,” he said.
The tourism minister said if many Gambians are vaccinated against COVID-19, it will convince many tourists to visit the country.
The minister also urged Gambians to respect COVID-19 preventive measures, especially with the coming of the Banjul Cultural Day known as the ‘Eggereh’ Day. He said promoting culture is important as it helps people to know where they come from and work for the future.
“For the Banjul Cultural Day (the Eggereh Day) a lot of tourists, both Gambians and Non-Gambians, do come to the country to witness this cultural activity. That is why this government deems it necessary to support the various cultural groups involved in it,” he said.
Readers could recall that health authorities have disclosed that about 15% of the targeted population has received the COVID-19 vaccines. The number of vaccinated people in the Gambia, according to the health authorities, is not promising. This has prompted the health ministry to launch a door-to-door vaccination campaign, helping Gambians get vaccinated.
