Cabinet has approved the creation of a contingency fund for emergency preparedness, prevention and mitigation measures against the CORONA Virus Outbreak.
Chief Government Spokesperson DORA SILIYA says this is in order to timely protect the public from social, economic and cultural effects that the disease may cause.
Ms SILIYA says the decision was arrived at after President EDGAR LUNGU called an urgent Cabinet meeting today, at which the global problem that has besieged the World , the Corona Virus was discussed.
In a statement to ZNBC News, Ms SILIYA said from the time the COVID -19 outbreak was declared, ZAMBIA has NOT recorded ANY case of the disease.
She says ZAMBIA has put in measures to prevent, detect and respond to any potential outbreak of COVID 19.
Ms SILIYA said the Ministry of Health through the Zambia National Public Health Institute has put in measure in terms of preparedness for mitigation of a COVID 19 outbreak such as training of multi-sectoral multi-disciplinary teams as rapid responders.
She said intensified disease surveillance at points of entry points including airports and in health facilities, have developed and distributed guidelines for follow up of all travellers returning from high-risk areas.
Ms SILIYA said Government has also procured and prepositioned personnel protective equipment in strategic high risk areas and identified isolation facilities to be used in case of any eventualities.
She said Cabinet is concerned and wants to ensure the Zambian Population is protected from COVID 19.
Ms SILIYA said that at Continental level , the Africa CDC Secretariate is working through the regional collaborating centres, by providing regular updates and technical support to member states.
She said the African CDC has also scheduled weekly virtual meetings to update member states on the evolving outbreak situation.
Ms SILIYA said that as host country for the Africa CDC Regional Collaboration Centre for Southern Africa, ZAMBIA is coordinating the initiatives.
She said that within the SADC Region, meetings have been held to strategise on addressing preparedness efforts as a united front.
So far, according to Global statistics as at March 2, 2020, 87 thousand 1- hundred and 37 are confirmed cases including 2 thousand 9 hundred and 77 deaths.
CHINA alone accounts for 79 thousand 9 hundred and 68 confirmed cases of which 2 thousand 8 hundred and 73 are deaths.
Currently, 58 countries have been affected outside CHINA, three from the African region namely ALGERIA, EGYPT and NIGERIA, with a number of african countries reporting suspected cases some of which are still under investigation.
Thank you HH for your leadership. Government has finally take note of your appeal.
This statement is not quite precise on these ‘measures’. What kind of detection is in place? Do we have places ready for patient isolation? Protective wear purchased? Are we actually able to diagonise it specifically as Covid-19? Do we have the technology for sequencinng the viral genome?
Concrete evidenced assurances are what we need, to forestall panic and hysteria. With what has been happening recently in the country, we seem to be on edge already.
In other words, it’s easy to say we have things in place. Can we see the equipment and actual isolation places?
I dont read Dola’s statement just like Sunday’s. They are but empty rhetoric that amount to nothing.
Yet workers go unpaid and pensioners as well. The money meant to pay these people keeps on being deflected by DMMU gassing, Corona yet people are starving.
Warning and caution: “Iwe Sparks, don’t murder anyone again, you are free to go”.
Try “warm & caution” on any virus.
A proactive working government putting peoples lives first. Kz
They only put their own pockets first. The procurement process will abused under this operation.
As long as it isn’t going into someone’s pocket as we speak!
Well done Dora
Fromm of carderes to pf gassers hehehe
Please consider these funds lost
By the time the first case of Corona gets announced in Zed, part of those “contingency funds” will be in Monday & McPherson Chanda’s pockets, & the rest kept for by elections & “the P.F Gassing project”
WATCH THIS SPACE!!
Wasn’t that money not supposed to be pay for UNZA/CBU faculty?
What is the difference between Dora and Zodwa? How come they can’t allow Zodwa in Zambia when Dora and Zodwa are basically from the same cloth but Dora is spokesperson of the country? Basically Zodwa is our spokesperson.
Kindly can some one tell me the name of the woman who has been doing the rounds with chella tukuta the photographer on social media. We need her services for party marketing services. Can any kind person tell me her name and ask her to contact me asap.
Sorry I can’t contribute even a ngwee to these guys, you just can’t trust a group such as this PF group. All they think now is campaign funds, to fund an obviously already lost election campaign.
If I was PF, I would not bother begging for money for the COVID19. Just ask our Hamble leader for a generous donation. He just offered K250,000 for gassers, I am not aware anyone has taken it. Yesterday he donated two brand new Higer buses, I don’t think that the bank account is dry yet, far from it, another two years maybe.
setting up Contingency fund without giving us figures and where the funds have come from….please dont go to the UN to beg for funds as they have set as $15 million for developing countries.
In the meantime we are busy approving VISAs for people from where fire is at peak – when you know very well that our clinics don’t even have panado
In the meantime we are busy approving VISAs for people from where the fire is at peak – when you know very well that our clinics don’t even have panado
This fund will be stolen by PF, ECL and the thugs
This fund will be stolen by PF, ECL and the thugs
Consider this stolen by PF
If Zodwa, I mean Dora was in Malawi she would be serving a prison sentence for the maize crime she committed. In Zambia when you steal you get rewarded a ministerial position by Lungu. He doesn’t want to go to prison alone. He wants company in those cages as they are brought to court. Sangwa again will be State Counsel to be helped by the Nchito brothers to send Lungu to life in prison. It will be nice. Wait, you will enjoy!
Ba Kaizer you say proactive working government but everything you have to wait for HH to tell you what to do now he is telling you to invite international investigators on this gassing issue then after you will say yes on hunger it was the same thing you said no but what happened in Chilubi you started giving relief Food even your President has refused to address the nation on the issue of gassing then what are you talking about Mr. Kaizer.
The ussual way PF works set up fund. This is not the time to set up but time for action meaning spending funds for prevention and treatment. It’s too late now to for such statements!!
namvela ati ni k50,000,000 but am yet to find out the truth from Mr,Kaizer as to how much money this thieving regime has put aside to combat the outbreak of covid-19 which I pray should not hit this poor country with no proper healthy facilities.Ndaba tizafa monga nkuku!!!!!!!
THE CORONA VIRUS IS NO CHILD’S PLAY, WE CAN NOT CONTAIN IT HENCE THE BEST IS NOT TO INVITE IT BUT TO AVOID IT AT ALL COSTS, MIND YOU IT IS AIRBORNE AND YOU SEE HOW WE STRUGGLE WITH CHOLERA WHICH IS NOT EVEN AIRBORNE, LET US NOT TRIVIALIZE THIS DISEASE, WE CAN NOT SAY LET THEM COME AND WE WILL DEAL WITH THE OUTCOME NO, THE ANSWER IS WE CAN’T, THIS IS A DISEASE WHOSE SOURCE IS STILL BEING SPECULATED ABOUT AND WHOSE CURE IS YET TO BE FOUND AND YOU SAY LET THEN COME, FOR ONCE LET US BE SERIOUS.