The United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) has urged the global tourism sector to devise effective measures aimed at containing the COVID-19 outbreak.
In a letter to Zambia’s Tourism and Arts Minister Ronald Chitotela, UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashshvili said he held a meeting with the World Health Organisation (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom, to address respective sector response to the ongoing Coronavirus outbreak.
Ambassador Zurab said the meeting that took place at WHO Headquarters in Geneva was productive and that Dr. Tedros appreciated the collaboration and the support from the tourism sector, at such a challenging time.
He revealed that the meeting agreed that a collaborative response should be based on four lines of action which include ensuring determined but appropriate action by governments, highlighting the importance of the on-going high-level communication between tourism and the public health sector, among other things.
Dr. Zurab explained that the meeting further agreed to underline the importance of international cooperation and solidarity, as well as recognize that the tourism sector can be an integral part of efforts to contain COVID-19.
The world tourism boss also revealed that UNWTO and WHO would hold a virtual meeting with the chairs of the UNWTO Regional Commissions, as well as the chair of the Executive Council and key stakeholders from across the tourism sector, within the coming days.
This is according to a press statement issued to ZANIS by the Ministry of Tourism and Arts Public Relations Officer Sakabilo Kalembwe in Lusaka today.
I am sure the likes of Chitotela and Chilufya have already awarded their proxy companies tenders for supplying masks to MOH at $5 a piece.
From today I will be taking hollywood sci-fi movies serious, when you watch CONTAGION the movie( 2011) starring matt damon, its like they foresaw this corona virus coming.
Will the people survive coronavirus with all the powercuts and water shortages in the Visionless republic of corrupt leaders?
Visionless leader = National Disaster
#tarinoorange that’s a good one…and sounds doneable, especially that single sourcing can be justiable in an emergency crisis like this one….we shall here how much will be spent on those masks if not 5 times the contingency fund…pa Zed kuwayawaya fye….my worry with this disease is do we have enough resources at our hospitals to contain this, e.g diagnostic tools, bed spaces, acute bed spaces, oxygen, personnel, plans to have them work extra time…or is this all in the contingency funds…we have dealt with cholera crisis before but this disease ain’t playing, it needs sophisticated, systematic and schematic preparedness……not just taking temperature and the one doing it is not even protected enough…. It was laughable how a press briefing was held in small closed up room as…
…. if the Minister knew where each of those guys where coming from…. In times like this show example by doing a briefing on some medium with less human contact…..