The Gambia Press Union (GPU) said on Tuesday it has learnt with ‘sadness’ that some journalists have contracted the coronavirus in line of duty.
“The Union wishes all of them well and looks forward to seeing them back at practice,” the journalists body said in a statement.
It added: “Since the outbreak of Covid-19 global pandemic – and its emergence in The Gambia – media houses and reporters have been working under extremely difficult and dangerous circumstances to save lives by keeping the people informed and educated of the pandemic and ultimately holding the government to account.
“As frontliners, reporters have been reporting from treatment centres, the airport and land borders and other many potential hotspots without adequate protective equipment and disinfectants.
“The Union is proud of these enormous sacrifices and calls on the public and the government to support journalists whose work is crucial to stopping the spread and saving lives.
“We equally call on media houses and journalists to utilise the media advisory prepared by the GPU, which provides key guidance on safety of journalists during the pandemic.”
