Mobile caravans that drove across the countries, posters, stickers, T-shirts, messages on radio and TV and an article in the local newspapers.
These are the initiatives that The Gambian health Department engaged in to tell locals the dangers of smoking during the COVID-19 pandemic.
When the pandemic was declared, it was impossible for the tobacco control community to ignore the links between the deadly virus and tobacco. Research very early on had shown that smokers who contracted COVID-19 were likely to have more severe symptoms, and could even die.
In line with this, the CTCA redirected funds from its grants and engaged with countries on initiatives that could help spread these messages.
The Gambia was one of the first CTCA countries off the mark.
In The Gambia, posters, stickers and T-shirts were produced as part of the Information, Education and Communication materials. These were distributed nationwide in a caravan tour of the country.
In addition, Public Service Announcements were played on TV and radio English and the two most commonly spoken languages in the country.
An opinion piece that explains the dangers of smoking during the COVID-19 pandemic was also placed in local newspapers.