Chipata records drop in burial permits in 3 months

The Chipata City Council (CCC) has issued more than 70 burial permits from April to June, 2021.

CCC Public Relations Manager Charity Mtonga has told ZANIS in an interview that records at the local authority show that 78 burial permits were issued in the second quarter of this year alone.

Ms. Mtonga said this number represents a drop of about 42 permits from the 120 permits issued in the first quarter of 2021.

She said the fluctuation in figures is not a direct indicator of how many bodies are being buried daily as it has been observed that some families, especially those who bury in villages, go ahead and lay to rest the deceased people even without a permit from the local authority.

“As Chipata City Council, we have had incidents where families come back to apply for permits months after burial, especially in cases where they are obligated to produce one in transactions that concern a deceased person,” Ms. Mtonga explained.

And Ms. Mtonga has since appealed to members of the public to effectively adhere to the five golden rules given by the Ministry of Health in order to adequately fight the spread of Covid-19.

She also cautioned bar owners against abrogating government’s directive not to open their businesses to the members of the public outside stipulated times.

Ms. Mtonga said the local authority targets to ensure that compliance levels regarding Covid-19 are maintained.