HOLD IT LAURA?

LAURA Miti is at it again with her misguided views that only makes her relevant to her paymasters.

This time, Laura has taken a swipe at the country’s health care system, claiming that the recent spike in Covid-19 deaths is due to lack of care in hospitals.

She claims patients are neglected.

Yes, we understand that we are yet again in this silly season of political campaigning when rhetoric and party regalia take centre stage. Common sense flies with the wind.

But there must be a limit to the extent to which people should be allowed to get away with their cheap lies and propaganda.

The third wave of the Covid-10 pandemic that is sweeping through the country is a global health disaster that has spared no country.

It has turned the global economy upside down and literary caused health services to collapse due to the large number of infections being reported every day.

Health personnel are overwhelmed by the workload and are working under very difficult conditions in an effort to save lives.

But lest Laura forgets, did the government not plead with a skeptical population when the Covid-19 pandemic broke out last year on the need to take precautions?

Government launched an extensive public health awareness drive to have the people observe the five golden rules of Covid-19 preventive measures.

There were some among our enlightened political leaders who scoffed at the measures, and mocked the government that it was manufacturing case figures to win public sympathy.

Health experts warned about a looming third wave but people ignored the warnings.

They flouted the limited lockdown measures that were introduced with impunity. For example, some drinking places especially in urban centres operated discreetly until they were discovered.

When the third wave struck, it coincided with the campaigns for the August 12 elections, prompting the government after advice from health specialists to ban public rallies.

Public campaign rallies, as witnessed in India were identified as super spreader events of the pandemic.

But even with such examples, some political parties took the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) to court, claiming that it was infringing on their democratic rights to campaign. Thankfully, the court did not entertain their complaint and ruled in favour of the ECZ.

Laura should be aware that we are dealing with a recalcitrant and stubborn cadre of politicians who want to politicise everything.

Yes, Covid-19 has affected almost every family in Zambia, losing a loved one, or several to the pandemic. And now is no time to start attacking healthcare workers that they are neglecting patients.

In South Africa, President Cyril Ramaphosa has moved the country to alert Level 4 lockdown, with stricter restrictions from yesterday.

This was after the Ministerial Advisory Committee advised that the limited restrictions, previously imposed, were not that effective.

“The average number of daily new infections was more than doubling, hospital admissions were rising, and deaths from Covid-19 were increasing by nearly 50 percent,” said President Ramaphosa.

That is a stark reminder of the Zambian situation, that rather than play truant, each person must be a frontline soldier and fight the pandemic.

Let medical staff work in peace though under very difficult conditions.