By Scoop Reporter
HEALTH Minister Chitalu Chilufya has revoked and replaced regulation number 9 in SI 22 of 2020 in respect of COVID-19 restrictions as a written permission from an authorised officer will now be required.
This was after Zambia recorded a surge in the number of Corona Virus Disease (COVID-19) new cases in the past 11 days to 324, with 18 COVID-related deaths.
Addressing the nation today, Dr. Chilufya says the situation analysis in the last 11 days shows that 67 contacts to known cases were recorded while 48 were picked out of health facility-based screening.
He says 63 truck drivers were picked out at the points of entry and various points of screening and that those that were picked at various points where community screening is done were 105 while nine health workers were picked during routine screening.
He says observations made in Zambia have shown laxity in compliance to public health and social measures as less people are wearing masks in public and that less public places are enforcing public health and social measures, including mandatory handwashing.
He says people are gathering in public place such as restaurants and markets without adhering to public health and social measures.
“Measures that were prescribed in Statutory Instruments 21 and 22 are still in force and we must ensure that we adhere to them.
“Let me use this opportunity to inform the nation that anchoring on powers vested in me, I have revoked and replaced regulation number 9 in SI 22 of 2020 on the aspect of restrictions of gatherings which shall now read, a public ceremony or gathering shall not be held in an infected area without a written permission of an authorised officer.
“We would like to sound a warning today that at this pace, we will continue to see an increase in the number of cases and deaths. Therefore, the call from President Lungu today is for us to rededicate to public health and social measures for us to show escalated responsibility to self and society to curb the trend,” Dr. Chitalu said.
