Strengthening Points of Entry in response to the COVID-19 Pandemic, Banjul

Supported by the WHO Country Office in partnership with West Africa Health Organization, WHO Senegal, International Organization for Migration- Gambia and the Ministry of Health, the main objective of this training was to develop mechanisms and action plans for strengthening cross border coordination of activities and interventions aimed at curbing further spread of COVID-19 in The Gambia and Senegal.

WHO provided technical experts in support of this activity covering areas such the International Health Regulations (IHR), Case Management, Risk Communication and community engagement interventions, Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) and coordination of interventions at Points of Entries (PoE).

Presentations from both countries illustrated the current trend of the pandemic in terms of persons place and time, with both countries showing a decline in absolute numbers. However, the limited testing of the general population in both countries remains a challenge. This factor is associated with the inadequate capacity (human and material resources) at the official and designated points of entry in both countries.

A template to guide each country in the development of an action plan was presented by the supporting consultants from the WHO Hub in Dakar and this was utilized for specifying the activities, indicators and responsibility for the implementation of the proposed interventions.

Both parties highlighted the need for harmonization and closer collaboration among the actors at the PoEs with emphasis on community engagement to strengthen surveillance along the border areas

At the end of the training, both countries agreed on modalities to intensify and strengthen cross border operations to control the spread of COVID-19.