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Gambia now has 20 active Covid-19 cases
The Ministry Health has make this known that two people in their twenties have tested positive for coronavirus, taking the number of active cases in the country to 20.
One of the 2 cases is the first case recorded in Western 2 Region. Both cases are in their twenties but were taken into quarantine in different circumstances. While one has been in quarantine for being a close contact of the 11th case, the other was taken into quarantine on account of recently returning to the country from neighbouring Senegal.
“One of the previously reported probable cases has tested negative after being re-sampled. He is still required to complete his mandatory quarantine period. Out of a total of 77 test results received, 75 were negative and 2 tested positive for COVID-19 whereas 5 persons were newly taken into quarantine (3 from CRR and 2 from Serekunda – all close contacts of confirmed cases).”
Bittaye said 6 people were send home after testing negative for COVID-19 upon finishing of the required quarantine period.
“Follow-up period for 22 low-risk contacts has elapsed without any of them exhibiting any symptoms of COVID-19. As such they will no longer be followed. The country currently has 100 persons under quarantine; 10 active cases and 2 probable cases,” he explained.
Source___Standard Newspaper
APRC Frightens To Take Legal actions against Gov’t Over Seized Assets
The leader of the opposition Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction has forewarn that the preceding ruling party will be left with no other alternative but to take the government to court if they act up in their final attempt to get back the party and preceding President Yahya Jammeh’s seized assets.
“We are preparing a petition to government, UN, Ecowas, EU, AU, embassies, human rights commission and all the relevant institutions as our final attempt to regain our assets. We will demand that they push government to react to this situation or else we will be forced to take legal actions,” Fabakary Tombong Jatta told The Standard.
He said the final petition, which will contain all the party’s claims and demands will also be shared with the Gambia Press Union for onward delivery to all the country’s media houses for the purposes of transparency and accountability.
“We have had plans to resort to court for a long time but you know court fees are so expensive and sometimes it becomes a challenge for the weak to have justice even if you are right. However, if our final attempt fails to attract government’s attention, we will be left with no option but to take them to court. We want to give our courts a trial but if we don’t have justice, we will go to the Ecowas court to seek justice,” he said.
The former majority leader said he is unable to understand how the Barrow government could within the bound of 3 months give brand new pickups to each political leader in the Coalition and donate 57 more to the National Assembly and still claims that the APRC government that ruled for 22years could not justly provide just 5 pick-ups.
“I think it is too much. As I said we are making our last attempt about that. We will demand that they tell Gambians who they sold the party and Jammeh’s properties to and how much they were sold because there are rumours that some of Jammeh’s vehicles and bulls were sold to former and current ministers and senior government officials at giveaway prices. That’s the height of dishonesty one could expect from a government,” he said.
Source____ Standard Newspaper
Risk Emerges As Submission With COVID-19 Measures slow up in Gambia
Risk may loom as submission with COVID-19 measures goes down. This disease is real and a killer as declared by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a global pandemic.
COVID-19 was initially confirmed in the Gambia on 16th March 2020 and presently the country’s COVID-19 status stands at 1 death, 9 recoveries and 11 positive cases.
At the global level, the pandemic since its escalation has killed a toll of 244,122 with 3,446,291 confirmed cases as of 4th May 2020, making it the world’s night mare which at the moment, has no cure or vaccine.
In spite of coming up with a State of Public Emergency and limitations coupled with the numerous sensitization campaigns on the pandemic, Gambians from the onset of the escalation conformed with the guidelines.
To ascertain the submission with the guidelines set aside to contain the escalation of the disease give rise to this medium to visit some of the public places and see the level of concurrence with the precautionary measures put in place.
*At Latrikunda Sabiji Market, this reporter observed that physical distancing rules on public gathering and the use of masks have not been implemented; that people could be seen in numbers without masks and hand washing is also neglected by many at market entrances.*
Source___Foroyaa
We take action within the law – Gambia Minister of Finance
The minister of Finance and Economic Affairs, Hon. Mamburay Njie has stand firm on the decision of his ministry to secure food support for the poor and helpless Gambians across the country by bringing forward funds from the budgets allocations of the various government ministries, agencies, and departments.
The minister made a strong stand for the government’s Marshall of the emergency COVID-19 health fund and food supply fund of D500 million and D734 million, simultaneously, on Wednesday at the Finance and Public Accounts Committee of the National Assembly (FPAC), which brought concern that parliament was not involved in the process.
“We did not act outside the budget approved by the National Assembly’’, Minister Njie said, explaining that the COVID-19 monies were raised from 2020 budget allocation in line with the existing public finance regulations of the country.
“If we would have gone more what was approved, yes…But up to today, we have not spent anything that is beyond what was appropriated by the National Assembly in December 2019. We were guided by the Public Finance Act 2014, which allows for virement’’.
*The minister added that a significant percentage of the D500 million was cut from the travel allocations of the government because global travel has been restricted due to the COVID pandemic while the entire D734 million was sourced from savings from the debt service referral from development partners.*
Members of the National Assembly subcommittee, including Hon. Ya-Kumba Jaiteh, Hon. Sedia Jatta, and Hon. Fatoumata Njie have seen that the provisions of the Public Finance Act that the Ministry put hopes on were in contravention with the Constitution and should be properly checked.
He also be firmed that they had to act with all speed to provide food support to Gambians.
Source___The Point
UDP Youth president tells Gambian VP Touray ‘Youth must not be used as tools for exploitation.”
Sulayman Saho urges Vice President Isatou Touray to be watchful of what she say and to exercise high regard for others, saying she mistreated and misapply the occasion instead of calling for multi angle approach to contain corona virus.
The vice president was restated during the food distribution calling on young people to take part in the unloading of the food items as source of income earning for them.
This triggered not only Saho but a good number of young people and bothered Gambians. Although she stand her ground that, her “comments were taken out of context or misunderstood.”
*Mr. Saho said if the government fails to address the challenges that young people are facing then it has fail in its responsibility.*
He made recommendations to president Adama Barrow to make a decision about his Vice President’s statements, saying she has vandalized the efforts of the government and putting forward her own political career to become the next president.
*The Central Badibou lawmaker said it is high time for the VP to know and comprehend that the change she is enjoying was done by the youth and not her alone.*
Source___The Point
Gambia Finance minister argue with lawmakers on validity of D700m
It was a vehement debate between the Finance minister and members of the FPAC committee, as they argued on validity of the money used by President Barrow as food aid package to Gambians.
*Finance and Economic Affairs Minister Mambureh Njie said that they have not done any extra-budgetary expenditure aside from the amount adopted by the National Assembly to respond to covid-19.*
The Finance minister speaking in an interview with journalists after he was invited on Thursday by the National Assembly Finance and Public Accounts Committee (FPAC) to elaborate more light on the D700 million that have been taken from the national budget to make a quick response to covid-19.
“The most important is that the amount appropriated by the National Assembly is still respected and we have not done any extra-budgetary expenditure,” said Mambureh Njie.
He explained that, out of the 24 virements, 20 of them were all on travels,but currently there is a travel ban.
“So it was very clear indication that we can use those funds especially the intent; is all about the covid-19 related and we need to respond. We should be proud of ourselves that it is our money that we are using at this moment. We are accountable and we are doing it in the right way.”
The Finance minister further explained that the second virement is 100 percent coming from the savings they made from that debt adjournment.
“I said it’s very clear that we relied and guided by the Public Finance Act 2014 and the 1997 Constitution. The Public Finance was done after the 1997 constitution and it’s a delegated authority and what we have relied on is very clear on section 29 on the virement and the powers vested on the ministry and the minister in particular to reallocate funds,” he said
Source___The Point
State Governor of Nigeria El-Rufai Confirms Two More COVID-19 Deaths In Kaduna State
Kaduna State has confirmed two more deaths from the coronavirus pandemic.
The state governor, Nasir El Rufai, disclosed this in a late-night tweet on Saturday that the casualties were confirmed in Makarfi and Zaria Local Government Areas of the state.
He elucidated that the deaths involved a senior citizen from Makarfi and a lady from Zaria.
Governor El-Rufai also make known that two more persons have tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the total number of active cases in Kaduna state to 87.
As said by him, the two new cases include a male from Igabi and a female from Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna.
The state confirmed its initial death from COVID-19 on May 2 – a pensioner civil servant.
The victim was said to have obscured his travel history to Kano and died before the result of his test came out.
This brings the number of deaths from COVID-19 in the state of Kaduna to three now.
Source___Channels TV
White House task force members on self-quarantine
Three members of the White House coronavirus task force are self-isolating for two weeks after probable subjection to the pandemic.
Dr Anthony Fauci, who has become the leading face of the fight against the corona virus in the US, is one of those who will go into quarantine.
According to BBC, his agency, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said he was at “relatively low risk” due to the level of his exposure.
Dr Fauci has tested negative.
*The 79-year-old will work from home for the time being and will be regularly tested, the institute said.
Her pinpointing came after a manservant for US President Donald Trump was also confirmed to have the illness.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) director Dr Robert Redfield and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) commissioner Stephen Hahn are also on self-quarantine
*In a statement, the CDC said Dr Redfield, 68, had no symptoms and was not feeling unwell, but would also be teleworking for two weeks after “low risk exposure” to someone at the White House. It is unclear who this person is.*
And an FDA spokesman told Reuters news agency on Friday that 60-year-old Stephen Hahn was also on self-quarantine. The result of the test turns out negative, the spokesman said.
Source___BBC News
Five Footballers from Uppermost leagues Test Positive For COVID-19 In Spain
Five players from Spain’s topmost two leagues have tested positive for coronavirus, La Liga confirmed on Sunday.
Players in Spain’s top-flight and Segunda division were permitted to take on individual work at training grounds last week.
The move was the inception of a lurch training programme, with the aim to resume competitive games in the middle of June.
La Liga insist spotting out infected players through positive tests are part of that plan.
The five players, who have not been formally named, will now be quarantined at home and tested again “in the next few days”.
They will be permitted to return to their club’s training programme only after obtaining two successive negative test results.
*The medical protocol for training is strict and includes players arriving already changed and at specific times to avoid contact with others. They wear masks and gloves, and have their temperatures taken before entering the premises. At the end of training, they take away a bag of fresh kit for the next day and shower at home.*
The league have not formally make public the duration for the restartimg of competitive matches although Leganes coach Javier Aguirre said last week the preferred date is June 20.
That could correlate with the Spanish government’s de-escalation programme, which incorporates outside events being permitted to go ahead in their fourth and final phase, as long as they are attended by less than 400 people.
Source___Channels TV
Italian aid worker abducted in Kenya in 2018 comes back home
An Italian aid worker, who was kidnapped in Kenya in November 2018, has been flown back to her home country.
Silvia Romano, 25, hugged her parents and sister, and was welcomed by Italy’s prime minister and foreign minister after she alight in Rome.
She was liberated from a suspicion Islamist group al-Shabab near Somalia’s capital Mogadishu on Saturday, reports say.
Italy’s confidential service is said to have been helped by Turkey and Somalia to have her release.
No group has asserted responsibility for the kidnapping18 months ago.
“In January 2019, the Somalia-based al-ShababH said it was behind the attack on a hotel and office complex in Kenya’s capital Nairobi, in which 21 people died.”
After landing in Rome’s Ciampino airport on Sunday, Ms Romano said he was feeling well, both “physically and mentally”.
She was seen escorted by masked men from the Italian confidential service.
Meanwhile, Ms Romano’s father Enzo said he was “bursting with joy”.
Ms Romano, who works for the Italian charity Africa Milele Onlus, was taken by gunmen from a small rural hotel in Kilifi Country, south-eastern Kenya, in 2018.
She is known to have been later taken to Somalia.
“Kenyan police at the time offered a $10,000 (£8,060) reward to help find Ms Romano.”
Source___BBC News
D5 Creation