A LITTLE SACRIFICE
IT would be folly to continue to undermine the seriousness of the Covid-19 pandemic that has turned the world upside down.
To this end, any measures taken by the authorities, however uncomfortable must be accepted as being necessary to save lives.
After all, it must be admitted that people do not often heed warnings as has been observed during the Covid-19 pandemic.
This has been a major contributory factor to the sharp rise in Covid-19 infections even with the resultant new variants that have been discovered.
Government must therefore be commended for being on top of things by suspending the holding of social functions such as weddings and matebeto as well as chilanga mulilo and the like.
Although these are family functions, the bottom line is that they attract large gatherings and thus could also be termed as super spreader events.
The ban, announced by Ministry of Local Government Permanent Secretary Matthew Ngulube yesterday must therefore be supported.
Although some people might argue that these events might have been planned for a long time, we feel putting them off at this time is a small sacrifice.
Mr Ngulube said the suspension also includes the nullification of all permits submitted to the local authorities.
“All permits for weddings, birthday parties, kitchen parties, chilanga mulilos, conferences, workshops and other gatherings issued by local authorities are suspended with immediate effect for 21 days,” Mr Ngulube said.
As for funerals, the government has advised to limit the number of people during burials to 50, which in the Zambian context is difficult to observe.
A visit to any cemetery in the country, particularly in Lusaka will show that there is no observance of the health protocols. Mourners are jam-packed in trucks with no one wearing a face mask.
Our appeal to the nation is that precaution is always better than cure and it is incumbent upon all Zambians to adhere to the Covid-19 preventive directives without fail.
We therefore appeal to bars, taverns and casinos which have been allowed to continue operating under restricted hours to ensure that health preventive measures are observed.
They should appreciate that the government is aware that they provide employment and closing them altogether could send hundreds into destitution.
This is the more reason why even markets have been allowed to remain open, to ensure that the vulnerable are given a chance to eke out a living through trading. The least that people could do is not to ignore the health protocols, especially masking up.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) says the number of Covid-19 cases in Africa has surged at an unprecedented pace as the continent grapples with a third wave that has posed a dire threat to public health infrastructure.
WHO regional director for Africa Matshidiso Moeti said the continent is grappling with a surge in Covid-19 infection fuelled by the easing of containment measures, cold weather and the presence of new variants.
This is a crisis that Zambians must appreciate, considering that the country recorded 60 people dying of Covid-19 in the last 24 hours.
Ministry of Health Permanent Secretary for Technical Services, Dr Kennedy Malama announced that the country recorded 2, 595 new confirmed cases out of 11, 059 tests conducted, bringing the cumulative number of confirmed cases recorded to 143, 215.
These are tough times that calls for hard choices to be made to stay healthy.