For nine decades, only a beige stone divided the border village of Ngunta. On one side is Senegal, the French-speaking West African country, and on the other is Gambia, a former British colony where English is the official language.
In normal times, residents pay little attention to the territorial boundary. They are just from Ngunta population: roughly 900. They speak to each other in regional languages, strolling between countries like city dwellers move from block to block.
We are very close, said Modi Dem, 43, the village chief.
But the novel coronavirus is transforming life for people worldwide after dozens of nations have tightened or closed their borders. Travel bans are commonplace in this age of pandemic: A growing list of places including Ghana, Kenya, Italy and Chile have closed their doors without much notice to nearly all foreigners.
Even if they are next-door neighbors.
Gambia, the smallest country in continental Africa, is nearly surrounded by Senegal with a short Atlantic Ocean coastline a legacy of colonial-era demarcation. The caterpillar-shaped nation sealed its 465 miles of border on March 23.
Police officers with AK-47s are enforcing the measure, which is meant to last three weeks in an effort to curb transmissions, officials say, but could be extended if the outbreak worsens. (Gambia had four cases as of Tuesday, and Senegal had 175.)
International traffic fuels a high risk of contracting the disease, the Gambian president’s office warned residents last week in a statement.
Villagers on the Gambian side say they no longer have easy access to drinking water. Usually, they send horse carts a quarter-mile over the border to fill jugs.
Now people are anxiously sneaking into Senegal with pots. The path is clear when officers are not around.
Authorities have apprehended two Senegalese fishermen trying to float into Gambia and escorted them into a state quarantine hold, officials said Monday.
Waiting for normalcy to return does not feel like an option, the chief said.
The main road tying Ngunta to the rest of Gambia is in rough condition. Travel, already a hassle, can be dangerous once the rainy season kicks off in June. The isolated economy does not work when it is split in half.
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