Zambia’s three major land border entries, Kasumbalesa, Chirundu and Nakonde have commenced intensive surveillance and screening to persons entering the country in a bid to mitigate the spread of the Coronavirus (COVID-19).
Health Minister Chitalu Chilufya told the Zambian Business Times – ZBT in an exclusive interview on March 18, 2020, that the Ministry has placed health officers at all land and Airport entries across the country to monitor travelers and ensure those with symptoms of COVID-19 are invested and quarantined.
Meanwhile, Zambia has recorded its first two cases of the Coronavirus from a couple that landed from a 10 days’ vacation in France on Sunday March 15, 2020. This was confirmed by Health Minister Chitalu Chilufya during a media briefing on March 18, 2020.
Chitalu further told ZBT that the Ministry working with the Zambia National Public Health Institute – ZNPHI to ensure that health activities are adhered to by the public and at all high volume entry points in the country by taking preventive measures such as regular washing of hands with soap and water, avoiding handshakes and hugs, keeping distances of at least one meter from each other, drinking a lot of fluids, frequent rubbing of hands with alcohol based hand sanitizers to mention but a few.
He further disclosed that the K57 million that was set aside through a contingency fund approved by President Edgar Lungu on March 3, 2020 will be employed for multisectoral activities which includes the stocking of protective equipment by health personals, Testers to be used at entry points and capacity building.
“President Lungu had on March 3, 2020 called for an urgent cabinet meeting to approve the creation of a contingency fund by government treasury to respond to the Coronavirus outbreak in order to timely protect the public from the social, economic and cultural effects that the disease may cause.
