Government has dispatched a team of experts from the Zambia National Public Health Institute (ZNPHI) to conduct COVID-19 mass screening in the border town of Nakonde, Minister of Health Chitalu Chilufya has disclosed.

Dr. Chilufya said following the two COVID-19 positive people who entered the country through Nakonde, government has decided to send experts to conduct mass screening in the border town to ensure people who might have come in contact with the couple are screened.

He said the mass screening in Nakonde is necessary because the neighbouring Tanzania has also recorded a number of COVID-19 cases.

The Minister of Health said the Zambian government has since engaged its Tanzanian counterpart to strengthen cross border collaboration in view of the outbreak of the pandemic in the two countries.

He said the contacts of the Chingola couple which tested positive after returning from Tanzania are being traced and screened for the disease adding that contact tracing is still ongoing.

Dr. Chilufya was speaking to journalists at Ndeke House in Lusaka today during the daily COVID-19 updates.

The Minister further disclosed that the country has recorded two new cases of COVID-19 in last 24 hours, bringing the total number of cases to 89.

He clarified that the cumulative number of COVID-19 cases in Zambia has gone to 89 from 88 after adding two new cases because one of those reported recently from the Copperbelt was not a new case but a repeated test.

This means that Copperbelt remain with only four cases of COVID-19 instead of five because of the error in tallying of the cases.

He said mass screening and targeted screening of covid-19 in Lusaka will continue.

He has since called on the public to adhere to the health guidelines as announced by government.

Meanwhile, the Minister of Health has called on the members of the public to adjust their lifestyle to make the health guidelines part of their daily routine because the COVID-19 pandemic was likely to be around for a long period of time.

Dr. Chilufya said members of the public should always mask up and observe social distance to prevent themselves from contracting or transmitting the deadly disease which is likely take long to be eliminated in the country.

He said the only effective way to prevent catching the deadly pandemic is to mask up and keep a distance from each other.

Responding to questions from journalists who wanted to know if anyone has come up with any COVID-19 drug for trial like it was happening in Madagascar, Dr. Chilufya stated that Zambia has not yet found any evidence based remedy to the pandemic.

He said the Ministry of Health is open for anyone who has a cure to present his medicine to be tested.

The African continent has recorded about 32,657 cases with 1,427 death as of today while the global figure of cases has gone to 3,017,766 with 207,722 deaths.

The Zambia Medicines Regulatory Authority has noted with concern, reports in some sections of the media about people promoting and selling falsified medicines and allied substances recommended for use as preventive measures against Coronavirus such as alcohol- based hand sanitisers.

To this effect, the Authority has heightened Post Marketing Surveillance through inspections and monitoring of advertisements and promotion of medicines and allied substances related to COVID-19 on the Zambian market.

Furthermore, the Authority is following up with individuals and companies claiming to have products that can prevent, treat or cure COVID-19.

ZAMRA Senior Public Relations Officer Christabel Iliamupu says sampling and testing of products such as alcohol-based hand sanitisers on the market is on-going and products which fail to meet the set standard of quality, safety and efficacy shall be withdrawn from circulation.

Mrs Iliamupu said the Authority has also continued undertaking robust assessments of product labeling information and production documents for medicines and allied substances, and where necessary, provide guidance to manufacturers on the minimum requirements.

“Falsified medicines and allied substances are harmful and unsafe with a potential of seriously endangering one’s health. This is why we are working tirelessly to ensure that such products are not placed on the Zambian market’’, she said.

Mrs Iliamupu has further warned people engaging in production and sale of falsified medicines and allied substances to refrain from such vices or risk being prosecuted as provided for under the Medicines and Allied Substances Act No.3 of 2013.

She said ZAMRA remain committed and resolute in ensuring that only medicines and allied substances which meet the set standards of quality, safety and efficacy are placed on the Zambian market.

Luanshya Mayor Nathan Chanda has expressed concern with the manner in which children are roaming the streets despite measures put in place for people to stay at home so as to prevent the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) in the country.

ZANIS reports that Mr. Chanda said this was weakening the efforts which the Ministry of Health has put in place to ensure the spread of the pandemic was stopped.

Mr. Chanda, who is also Copperbelt Patriotic Front Chairperson, has since taken it upon himself to go round into townships checking on adherence levels concerning the prescribed measures.

He observed that there were a lot of children who are freely socializing and interacting in huge numbers.

He said such behavior is putting the lives of children at risk as they were more vulnerable to contracting the disease and possibly contribute in spreading it to their families if not sensitized.

During his visit to various townships, the Luanshya Mayor said the decision by the Government to close schools was to ensure that children stay home and not to be loitering.

“It has been an eye-opener. We have discovered that our children are so vulnerable as they are moving about in numbers playing. The idea by the government to close schools was to ensure that children are kept safe at home so as to avoid large gatherings in a bid to prevent the spread of the coronavirus,” Mr. Chanda said.

Among the areas which Mr. Chanda visited are Roan sections 9 and 10, Kawama, sections 21, 25, and 27.

Mr. Chanda has since appealed to parents that use public transport to always leave their children at home and ensure that they wear face masks or use clean pieces of cloths as advised by the Ministry of Health.

“We got on business and I found that yes parents are putting on face masks, but the child they carry along does not have. So the best way is to leave the children at home. This is my honest appeal, we need to fight Covid-19 together,” he said.

He meanwhile noted that people were using disposable face masks for a couple of days when they were supposed to be changed after three to four hours.

Mr. Chanda has therefore called for more public sensitization on how to use the masks.

He further acknowledged the significant role that local tailors that make affordable face masks were playing.

“Am sure the Church, Members of Parliament and NGOs in our district are doing their job but are also invited to come on board as this was not a war for government alone but everyone if the COVID-19 was to be defeated,” Mr. Chanda said.

Luanshya district has so far recorded one case of COVID-19 since the outbreak of the pandemic in the country and the patient is among the two in isolation at Masaiti isolation centre in Masaiti district.

By Nevers Mumba

Fellow Countrymen,

I trust that by now, most of us would have had time to listen in and perhaps take in the meaning and impact of the address by the Republican President.

Without much ado, I would like to put on record the following as our official response.

1. ECONOMIC RESCUE

In his speech, the President made it very clear that his basic strategy was to try and preserve life, while also putting in place an economic rescue package of sorts to save the business houses and the economy in general.

OUR RESPONSE

While we wish to commend the effort to save the selected areas of business, we wish to point out that the PF government has so far made key pronouncements including the K10 billion rescue package from the Bank of Zambia, and the other Economic Rescue interventions announced by honourable Bwalya Ngandu, Minister of Finance.

We notice that all these interventions are aimed at saving the “big businesses” with little or nothing to be felt by the poorest or smallest businesses and at the household level.

We know that some of these stimulus packages such as the K10 billion come with an inherent moratorium, which allows some period of time to pass before the banks have to pay back, to effectively cushion the negative impact of COVID-19.

However, WE DO NOT SEE how any of the benefits of these rescue packages are going to benefit the MAJORITY ZAMBIANS who include the self-employed, young people and the poor in the compounds.

Our suggestion is that the President must follow up on these interventions and make a pronouncement that will either CURTAIL or REDUCE the following across the board:

1. RENT
2. WATER
3. ELECTRICITY
4. FUEL

The logic behind this is that these four expenses is what gives most Zambians headaches in their quest to provide for their families. While we expect an outcry from landlords regarding this, it must always be made clear that EVERYONE IN THE ECONOMY has suffered the same fate and have had their income somewhat CUT or totally lost, Landlords CANNOT BE THE ONLY ONES GOING ABOUT WITH business as usual.
In fact, under the stimulus package offered to the banks, most banks are under obligation to also pass on the benefit of the soft loans to their Loan DEBTORS, among which most of the landlords fall.

We demand a reduction to at least 1/3rd of whatever everyone pays as at present.

STILL NO LOCKDOWN/ REOPENING OF PLACES OF WORSHIP

Our position on this matter has been and continues to be very consistent.: MR.PRESIDENT, PLEASE LOCK DOWN THE MOST AFFECTED CITIES LIKE LUSAKA.

I know that some sections of the society and especially the liberal church might disagree with this and cite various reasons why we must be celebrating as the church. Our position is that NOBODY KNOWS the direction, speed, and momentum that this deadly Corona Virus pandemic is going to take. It is, therefore, more expedient even for the body of believers (the church) to treat this as a plague. We should not risk our people’s lives.

In the Bible, God told the children of Israel to go on LOCKDOWN, and place blood on the door lintels and side posts in order to preserve the life of their first borns when the Death Angel would pass. So Even though God had promised them deliverance, he still required obedience and submission to his will at household level for them to survive. Every life in the homes that were on LOCKDOWN was preserved.

It is no different today. We call ourselves a Christian Nation and we have prayed and stopped COVID-19 from having the devastating EFFECTS on the lives of our people as we have no capacity to deal with it in large numbers. We believe that this is true, but we must claim the blood of Jesus on the door posts of our hearts, and stay IN DOORS on lock down, until the death angel passes. Only in this way shall Zambia be Saved from the extreme spread of the virus.

We insist that the government should follow through with the declaration that we are at war as the President said exactly 4 weeks ago. But we must follow through and do what a nation at war does. Spare no means, SHUT DOWN, PRESERVE LIVES, AT WHATEVER COST.
To ask the church to go back to normal services at the height of the Pandemic is as good as leading God’s people to the slaughter house. This is not time to backslide. To the contrary, it is time to step up by declaring a total lockdown.

Having said that, we also recognise that the President has the power to take the country in whatever direction he deems fit, that is within his authority. None the less, we also wish to place on record that we can provide leadership as opposition leaders by giving timely leadership advise in matters that affect the going concern status of the nation, matters such as this.

President Edgar Lungu has urged citizens to form cooperatives to ensure that they meet quality and safety demands if the directive for Chain Stores to procure Zambian produce is to be actualised.

President Lungu says this is the only way that Zambia shall collectively achieve the national strategic objective to: “Produce Local, Buy Local, and Use Local”.

He said in order to self-sustain the country’s economy now and in the long-term, Zambians must first produce local, buy local, and use local, and then export more.

President Lungu said with Courage, Patriotism, Collective Action, Perseverance and Hope, Zambians must face the days ahead, knowing too well that the country shall covid-19.

During his third address to the Nation on COVID-19 on 24th April 2020, the President directed the Ministry of Commerce, Trade and Industry to ensure that chain stores prioritise local agricultural products in their localities.

He said the current situation Zambia find itself in opens a window of opportunity for Zambian farmers to produce and sell their products to chain stores, that for a long time have denied them business and opted for foreign products.

“If a chain store is in Chipata, let them buy agriculture products from our farmers in Eastern province. Under the circumstances we are in, only products that cannot be sourced from locals should be imported”, he said.

He expressed hope that once this is actualised, even after COVID-19, farmers will continue trading with these chain stores.

Meanwhile, Economics Association of Zambia President Lubinda Habazoka says the directive to the Ministry of Commerce by President Edgar Lungu to ensure that local farmers are given preference in chain stores should excite all those that are in farming.

Dr Habazooka has advised small scale farmers to form groups where they can guarantee quality, quantity and timely delivery to chain stores.

He said this is a big plus to those that are in farming and know the hustle.

Dr Habazooka notes that it has been difficult to get local goods on shelves and this move will significantly reduce pressure on the Zambian Kwacha.

He also emphasized on the need for local businesses to consider opening chain stores which will procure most of the local products.

And on the President’s directive for the Citizens Economic Empowerment Commission to consolidate all monies available in all empowerment funds and direct them towards helping SMES and in particular youth groups, women groups and those that have been hit the hardest, Dr Habazooka said this is that time when citizens will be sensitized about various funds available to them for businesses.

He said this move will create new businesses and add value.

“It’s up to businesses to ask their MPs for clarity on the availability of such monies. This is not money to misuse but should go into business ventures”, he said.