By SANFROSSA MANYINDA
THE United Party for National Development (UPND) has challenged Government and the ruling party to respect Covid-19 guidelines amidst the second wave of the virus.
UPND Copperbelt Information and Publicity Secretary, Lawrence Mwanza, told the Daily Nation in Kitwe that the PF members had been gathering in large numbers without observing the health guidelines such as wearing masks and observing physical distance.
He observed that there were crowds of cadres who gathered to welcome President Lungu while others attended his programmes during his three day working visit on the Copperbelt.
Mr Mwanza said that almost all of the people that gathered to attend the programmes were spotted without face masks and that they were not observing social distancing.
“This is very risky and a big danger especially that we are in the second wave of the Covid-19. We failed as a country to contain the first wave of the virus, do you think we will manage the second one which is claiming so many lives with this kind of behaviour?” he wondered.
Mr Mwanza said that in as much as the ruling party would want to campaign and drag numbers in certain regions, it was also important that it considered the health of the people.
He said the ruling party was showing the public that people could ignore the Covid-19 guidelines and go back to their normal ways of living.
He said it would be difficult for ordinary Zambians to believe that Covid-19 was real if leaders were in the fore-front ignoring the health guidelines.
Mr Mwanza said that the earlier the situation was controlled by the leaders the better for the country.
