Cholera situation under control – President Lungu
PRESIDENT Edgar Lungu says Government is firmly in control of the cholera situation and has assured traders in Lusaka that they would be able to trade again.
Speaking when he visited cholera patients at Heroes Stadium treatment centre yesterday, President Lungu said he was aware of the economic challenges being faced by those affected with the numerous interventions including the clean-up exercise that has displaced hundreds of vendors.
“Traders should be reminded that we will be opening up slowly and systematically in various places where trading will be regulated to make sure that we conform to requirements and standards of hygiene, toilets, waste disposal within prescribed norms, clean water etc.
“And Local Government authorities will make sure that we are on our toes and will not allow anyone to slip back to the disorder,” he said.
He explained that what led to the current situation was complacency, which grew to uncontrollable levels where it became normal to live in filthy and unsanitary conditions.
The President called on the business community to adopt cleanliness in their line of trade and ensure they adhered to prescribed standards for effective public health practices.
And the President has called on citizens to take the cleaning exercise as a daily routine to be effected at household and corporate levels to ensure all adhere to high standards of cleanliness to avoid future outbreaks of cholera or any other disease.
President Lungu stated that there must be a day in every month when citizens and companies must come out to clean their surroundings, as well as provide adequate sanitary conditions for the workplaces.
He cautioned local authorities against going to sleep and allowing the situation to get back to what the country was currently fighting in disease epidemics. He challenged all councils to come up with a schedule to clean their towns and get rid of the annual disease occurrence especially in the capital city.
And President Lungu has assured Lusaka residents of Government’s efforts towards improvement of quality water supply and sanitary conditions to help reduce transmission of water borne diseases such as cholera.