By AARON CHIYANZO
PRESIDENT Edgar Lungu must begin the reopening of the key sectors in a gradual but cautious manner, the Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) has said.
YALI president, Andrew Ntewewe, said the partial shutdown of some sectors in Zambia would adversely affect the socio-economic sectors of the country, if some key sectors were not re-opened.
He said in a statement that the partial shutdown was also taking a toll on the ability of citizens to live normal lives especially young people and emerging leaders.
Mr Ntewewe said the shutdown of colleges and universities, especially private ones, had not only affected the ability for workers to earn a living but also adversely affected young people in examination classes.
He recommended that schools be reopened for pupils in examination classes as well as colleges and universities.
Mr Ntewewe said the sale of alcohol in bars, night clubs, lodges and hotels on a take-away basis could be allowed as long as they had adequate space for social distancing.
“The effective functioning of the formal sector is directly dependent on a thriving informal sector. We therefore believe the continued shut down of the informal sector will hurt our economy and make businesses fail to survive the post COVID-19 period,” he said.
Mr Ntewewe said YALI supported Government’s scaled-up approach, unlike those who called for total lockdown.
He said it would have been naive for Government to succumb to pressure from those who called for a total lockdown based on emotions rather than evidence-based approach.
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