By SANFROSSA MANYINDA
KASUMBALESA border post risks becoming a Covid-19 breeding centre if quick interventions are not taken, Chililabombwe District Commissioner Roy Ngosa has said.
The border area has a high volume of traffic with business travellers traversing between Zambia and Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Most of the goods, particularly consumables, are bought in Zambia and transported into Katanga province of the vast neighbouring country.
Mr Ngosa has since called on the Ministry of Health and the council to strengthen surveillance and enforcement.
He said the district has no facilities to handle serious covid-19 cases hence the need to expend more efforts on surveillance preventive measures.
He said the increased number of cases should alarm everyone, the reason why members of the public should take extra precaution and avoid unnecessary movements.
Mr Ngosa was speaking during a stakeholders’ meeting to look at strategies that the district would enforce in the fight against the rising Covid-19 cases.
“There is therefore need to take the pandemic seriously as the numbers of cases recorded everyday are alarming,” he said.
At the same occasion, Chililabombwe Municipal Council Director of Public Health, Gift Sakanyi, emphasised the role stakeholders needed to play in the fight against the pandemic.
Dr Sakanyi said the fight should not to be left to the local authority alone but that all stakeholders should participate. He said that the council would work in collaboration with the Zambia Police to conduct random inspections in all public places to monitor compliance levels, paying particular attention to Kasumbalesa border.
Stakeholders present at the meeting were the Officer-in Charge Chililabombwe Police, representatives from immigration department, Buses and Taxes Association chairperson, market committees, church leaders and various business owners.
