By Sainey Darboe, Editor-in-chief:
As the West African country of The Gambia on Tuesday registered its first case of the deadly Coronavirus, people have commenced buying essential food and non-food items in bulk in anticipation of supply shortages.
Binta Sowe, a Gunjur resident said she has been compelled by circumstances to stock up on food items due to government announcement of a ban on public gatherings amid shuttering of schools and university.
“I had to buy as many food items as possible within my means because no one knows how long this public health pandemic is going to go on. It’s possible we may not have enough food items in the near future with possible disruption in supply”.
For Musa Sanneh, news of supply crunch in America and other places should be warning to Gambians to gather supplies.
“I have seen on television the scramble for supplies and this is enough warning for people here to prevent a similar fate,” he said.
There have been reports of steep hikes in the price of commodities since the outbreak and the announcement of Gambia‘s first case of the deadly COVID-19.