By SANFROSSA MANYINDA
CIVIC leaders and market associations in Kitwe must roll out their sensitization programmes to all the other 25 markets and not concentrate on Chisokone only, Mayor Christopher Kang’ombe has directed.
Mr Kang’ombe observed that there had been too much concentration on Chisokone, leaving out other markets where the risk was equally high.
He said in an interview that it was shocking to note that almost all the markets across the city lacked proper information on the corona virus.
Mr Kang’ombe said there was need for civic leaders to get involved so that awareness campaign could be spread to all areas of the city.
“I managed to go round all the 26 markets to sensitize marketeers on the COVID-19 and I was shocked that people are blank, they do not know anything,” he said.
The Mayor said that there was little work done in the other markets, a situation he said needed urgent intervention.
Mr Kang’ombe who is also Local Government Association of Zambia (LGAZ) president said that the local authority had a limited number of health inspectors.
The few health workers, he said, could not manage to sensitise the people, inspect bars and do other duties, hence the need to have civic leaders rolling out the messages in their jurisdictions.
He noted with concern that the messages that had been delivered through media platforms and health inspectors had not yielded any result, considering the high levels of ignorance.
“If we had an outbreak of the virus today in any of these markets, it will be a very high risk which can lead to others contracting the virus. This makes it important for the local authority to take immediate steps beyond what has been done already,” Mr Kan’gombe said.
He said that Kitwe was a high populated area which needed serious sensitization.
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