By: Kebba AF Touray
Businesses in the Kanifing Municipality are scaling down operations with the closure of non-essential food outlets or shops being ordered to close in order to contain the spread of the Corona virus.
The decision to close the shops was decreed by President Barrow during his televised statement on Friday March 27th 2020, while giving updates on the status of the virus and the disease in the country.
The declaration BY the President is gradually gaining momentum as the citizenry especially those in the business and transport sectors, are making effort to comply. This medium has started gauging the situation of the vulnerable sectors to see how they are coping with the President’s declaration.
Mbaye Ndiaye, a middle aged mobile entrepreneur told this reporter that although the move is to contain the spread of COVID-19 and to prevent them and their families from getting infected, it has also affected all businesses including theirs.
“Since the President’s declaration, we have closed down business. This has rendered us jobless and our businesses are declining because we are not making any sales,” he said.
Ndey Jobe, another dealer in textile and clothing decried that it is a difficult moment to deal with because businesses have been told to close. She appealed to the citizens to comply with the decision of the President.
Ebou Jobe a shopkeeper at the market stressed that the decision has not affected his essential food and commodities business such as bread and sugar, but appealed to the citizenry to comply with the measures to combat the disease.
“The disease continues to affect developed countries. So it is obvious that developing countries must strictly adhere to the measures to avert the replica of what we are seeing in developed nations. This is because developing countries do not have the economic capacity to invest in the treatment of the disease. Thus we have to prevent ourselves against it to the best of our abilities,” he said.
He emphasized that we should observe the preventive measures and adhere to the advice of the health authorities so that the disease is contained; that because it can potentially affect the country’s economy and thus inflict adverse impacts on our development crusade.
Alieu Badjie, a dealer in building materials, called on the authorities to help them with adequate protective gears saying they have also contributed to provide two hand washing stations which he said is not sufficient.
He asserted that public places such as markets should be adequately provided with hand wash stations because these are busy places where people from all walks of life meet.
“The disease can easily spread once an affected person comes to such places and have contact with those who are not affected. In such places, all preventive measures and gears should be provided in abundance with regular monitoring to ensure that anyone who comes to such places, observes the measures put in place,” he concludes.
