By AARON CHIYANZO and SANFROSSA MANYINDA
PRESIDENT Edgar Lungu has directed agencies entrusted to enforce Covid-19 guidelines to refrain from abusing and harassing citizens found flouting the rules.
The Head of State threatened to impose stringent measures to protect populations from the pandemic if citizens do not comply with the measures he announced last year.
The President also emphasised home-based care solutions, including “steaming” as proven remedies for covid-19.
“Use eucalyptus leaves, consuming vitamin C, ginger, garlic, honey and cinammon concoctions,” he said.
President Lungu said it was regrettable that enforcement officers had lately abused or humiliated citizens found flouting covid-19 guidelines.
He said enforcement officers could make citizens abide by the Covid-19 guidelines without necessarily harassing them.
“The number of people that have contracted covid-19 since the turn of the year and those who have died is of great concern,” the President said.
He said there was correlation between the high numbers of cases and the relaxed observance of covid-19 guidelines in the current spike.
“Arguably we dropped the guard. The covid-I9 guidelines I had announced last year as recommended by health experts were largely ignored and we forgot about the ‘New normal towards the end of 2020,” the President said.
President Lungu observed that the festive season came with partying and overcrowding with little observance of the covid-19 health guidelines.
“If there will be any flouting of these public heath guidelines, I will be left with no option but to close them again,” the President said.
And government has challenged medical researchers in the country to investigate traditional medicines being used by the general public in the fight against the Covid-19 as 14 people died from the pandemic.
Health Minister, Jonas Chanda, said there was need for health experts to conduct a research and see how the medicines could be used.
Dr Chanda observed that most people preferred using traditional methods such as steaming and paying less attention to conventional medicines.
Dr Chanda was speaking during his first COVID-19 update in Lusaka yesterday.
“We keep wondering why the people were rushing for traditional products in some herbal stores that already had them in stock.
“We do not need to be left behind as health experts but rather be in the forefront providing guidance on the matter in order to ensure that people are safe,” he said.
The Minister stated that local solutions alongside conversational solutions were welcome provided proper research was done.
