QUICK RECOVERY MS SILIYA, THE CHAMPION OF COVID-19

Dear Editor,

IWISH the Minister of Information and Broadcasting Services and Government Chief spokesperson, Ms Dora Siliya a quick recovery. Ms Siliya recently tested positive for Covid-19. She publicly announced her status last Friday.

Ms Siliya said that she tested positive for Covid-19 despite adhering to all the World Health Organisation (WHO) health guidelines. These include masking up, washing hands with soap and clean water, sanitising and observing the social distancing, among other preventive measures.

President Edgar Lungu has wished Ms Siliya a quick recovery and he has described her as the champion in the fight against Covid-19. The minister has since gone into self quarantine. Furthermore, Ms Siliya is asymptomatic meaning that she doesn't have any symptoms of the pandemic despite testing positive.

Ms Siliya and her Ministry of Health counterpart, Dr. Chitalu Chilufya have been in the last three months updating and sensitising the people on Covid-19.

The minister just like any other person can fall sick. There is nothing sinister about her being sick. It is normal.

But to my amazement, the social media was recently awash with some comments of which some were discriminatory against Ms Siliya. This is bad. What people should realise is that there is no one who chooses to fall sick. The right thing to do is to wish her a speedy recovery instead of speaking ill against her on the basis of testing positive for Covid-19.