The Kabwe Municipal Council (KMC) has closed some business houses, including the Shoprite chain store for violating the Covid-19 health guidelines.
KMC Assistant Public Relations Manager, Nancy Chenga, has confirmed that Shoprite, Kabwe Pharmacy, Termites Butchery, and Zambeef were temporally closed yesterday for not complying with Covid-19 health guidelines.
Ms. Chenga said the affected stores were found violating social distancing, lacked handwashing facilities at their entrances, and entertained improperly masked customers.
She said the closure was effected under the statutory instrument 21 and 22 of 2020 that provides for Covid-19 preventive measures.
“The municipality working hand-in-hand with Kabwe District Health Office (KDHO) will continue to conduct random spot checks for compliance purposes. Those who will be found abrogating the laws under Statutory Instrument (SI) 21 and 22 of 2020 on Covid-19 will be penalized accordingly,” she said.
She has warned that stern action will be taken against shop owners failing to strictly adhere to Covid-19 guidelines including the closure of their businesses.
She added that the affected business houses were re-opened after a meeting with the council officials and representatives from affected business houses.
She has since reminded shop owners and members of the general public to ensure compliance to the Covid-19 guidelines to prevent the further spread of the viral disease.
Meanwhile, the Zambia Private Sector Alliance (ZPSA) has advised all business traders and local authorities to effectively enforce Covid-19 pandemic prevention health care guidelines with immediate effect.
Zambia Private Sector Alliance President Chabuka Kawesha has strongly appealed to business houses, manufacturers, industries, and other factory operational plants to comply with the Covid-19 health guidelines.
Mr. Kawesha said all employers and businesses countrywide should ensure that their respective workforce mask-up, sanitize, and have the necessary cleaning products at their premises at all times.
“The new Covid-19 strain is 50 to 70 percent more transmissible and it is not something that should be open to question,” he said.
Mr. Kawesha has also called on councils to join forces with local traders in ensuring compliance with Covid-19 health care and prevention guidelines by utilizing all available materials and human capital at their disposal.
“The breeding grounds of Covid-19 are bars, markets, roadside trading, and bus stations which are always crowded with unmasked patrons,” he said.
Meanwhile, Mr. Kawesha has commended healthcare workers and many others for the relentless effort in saving lives during this Covid-19 pandemic.
2 sets of laws, one for law abiding citizens like shops and businesses who have to go through hell to run a normal business. Fire certificate, council licences, napsa, zra, zesco, lusaka water etc etc. Ontop of all this load shedding, than council, health people keep on coming to check this and that the whole year. Than places like the bus stations, markets where there is no social distancing, no masking but nobody will question them. Than bus drivers park on freedom way loading but police won’t say a thing because they are too busy troubling other motorists on silly things. Thats life in Z.
Europeans and Americans have been a yard stick of how best to follow these health guidelines, they have been under lockdown, the adhere to masking, social distancing, sanitizing etc, how did the second wave suddenly pop its head in lands practicing proper health guidelines ? why has the second wave concided with discovery of vaccines? Are these health measures the right way to fight covid?
Some people only listen through punches and slaps. They need to be given some dirty slaps
The new variant covid-19 is more severe. Compliance and observance is cardinal.
Let lusaka city council emulate
Kabwe council.let LCC swing into
Action in lusaka.
Let’s watch this unfold while remembering how PF let cholera run amok killing hundreds in 2019. Well done KMC officials.
Yet just outside the same shoprite hordes of vendors are plying their trade unhindered without hand washing facilities, without masks, without sanitizers, without social distancing, who don’t even pay any fees to the council or any tax to Zra. The council officials must either apply the law fairly or just carry out sensitization instead of closing if they are unable to apply the law fairly.
KABWE COUNCIL A DISASTER !!!!!!!! NO OTHER WORD FOR IT
AS FOR THE MAYOR NO COMMENT !!!!!!!!!!!!
KABWE is virtually the dustbin of zambia
I HAVENT HEARD A GOOD WORD FROM FRIENDS THERE …….
AND THEY PF SUPPORTERS FOR THE MOMENT
KMC GIVING PLOTS IN A WETLAND !!!!!!!!!!!!