TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Gambia announces first coronavirus case
In a televised statement, Health Minister Ahmadou Lamin Samateh said officials in the tiny West African state had confirmed an infection in a young woman who had recently travelled from the United Kingdom.
Change text size
Gift Premium Articles
to Anyone
Share the best of The Jakarta Post with friends, family, or colleagues. As a subscriber, you can gift 3 to 5 articles each month that anyone can read—no subscription needed!
Test tube with Corona virus name label is seen in this illustration taken on Jan. 29, 2020. (REUTERS/Dado Ruvic)
T
he Gambia has recorded its first case of coronavirus, the country's health minister said on Tuesday, after the government also announced measures to contain its spread.
In a televised statement, Health Minister Ahmadou Lamin Samateh said officials in the tiny West African state had confirmed an infection in a young woman who had recently travelled from the United Kingdom.
She went into self-isolation after feeling feverish, before being confirmed as a positive case.
"All passengers who came in the same flight or in contact with the confirmed case will be traced and undergo isolation," the minister said.
Samateh's announcement came straight on the heels of a televised statement from President Adama Barrow, who announced anti-virus measures on Tuesday before The Gambia had a single confirmed case.
The president announced a ban on public gatherings and the closure of schools for three weeks from Wednesday.
Travellers from affected countries will also be isolated for two weeks, the president said.
