Police in Chipata have arrested seven people, among them civil servants, for allegedly locking themselves in a bar to drink alcohol in total disregard of the Presidential directive.
The seven were found drinking at Chipata’s infamous Devil’s street.
President Edgar Lungu recently ordered the closure of bars, night clubs, gyms and restaurants to curb the spread of the coronavirus.
Eastern Province Police Commissioner Lackson Sakala told ZANIS that there were some civil servants among the arrested persons who were found locked and drinking in the bar.
Mr. Sakala said all the arrested persons are currently detained at Chipata Central Police Station and will be charged for conduct likely to cause breach of peace.
He cautioned bar operators against defying the presidential directive of closing bars and night clubs as a preventive measure to curb the spread of coronavirus.
Mr. Sakala said police patrols in Chipata and the surrounding districts have been intensified to ensure that bar owner comply with the presidential directive.
He said everyone should be involved in the fight against coronavirus hence the need for people to comply with preventive measures that have been put in place.
And Eastern Province Minister Makebi Zulu is not happy that some people can lock themselves in the bar to drink alcohol despite knowing about the outbreak of COVID-19.
Mr. Zulu said people should take measures put in place by the Ministry of Health seriously in order to stop the spread coronavirus.
He said people that are defying presidential directives which are aimed at combating the spread of coronavirus will be dealt with using the already existing laws.
He meanwhile said all tourists traveling to South Luangwa national park are being screened for coronavirus.
Mr. Zulu said the Ministry of Health has set up coronavirus screening check points at Mphomwa to ensure that all traveler’s going to the national park are screened.
He further said screening of travelers at Chanida and Mwami border posts will intensify due to the recent reported cases in Malawi and Mozambique.
Meanwhile, the Provincial Minister has commended Liberty Transport Company for donating assorted items worth K15, 000 towards the fight against coronavirus.
Mr. Zulu said government appreciates the continued support it is receiving from stakeholders in order to stop the further spread of coronavirus.
LT can it be news sure? In Lusaka People are all over drunk some of them are even your relatives and neighbors.
Snitches as usual, they are less than 50, who knows maybe it was a wedding party and they were waiting for the bride and groom.
Seer 1 end coronavirus in Zambia since you have spiritual powers.
Your son prophet Hanzala.
What peace. Read the law. There is no case here? Even keeping them at the police station you are not only risking their lives but also your lives. Kindly release them. The SL was poor drafted. Zimbabwe has done a good SI on covid 19
Foolish behaviour. But over the years, in Zambia, alcohol consumption has become a pass time….the norm. Therefore, it will be extremely difficult to change habits overnight. I think, premises licence holders, should be the ones answerable for opening their doors.
You are busy arresting the bar owners yet you are allowing the distributors to wholesale the commodity.palibe nzelu apa…shut down the source kaili
You were warned. We will soon start naming and shaming. Well done to our men in uniform .
Whats the charge? A presidential directive is not LAW.
Intensified screening at border posts. Meanwhile thousands of positives have already crossed over, unscreened…
When those students returned from a tour of Pakistan, Pakistan was not a hot zone. They came in without a fever, and they were not advised to quarantine. When Pakistan got labelled a hot zone, they themselves asked to be tested. Had they not done so, MoH would never have followed them up, and we would have never known. These were students with no duties to attend to as schools were closed.
Truckers on the other hand would not ask to be tested for fear of being quarantined. Especially not the foreign based ones for fear of being quarantined in a foreign country.
So, if you have intensified screening at border posts only now, we have to worry about those who have…
Contd… So, if you have intensified screening at border posts only now, we have to worry about those who have already entered unscreened
39 will be way under valued
Zambians should take COVID-19 virus very seriously, because if it happens to spiral out of control, there’s no way you’re going to bring it under control. You’ll have 700 or 800 or more people dying in a day, as is happening in America. And yet America has even better health facilities, better hospitals, etc. But still people are dying in large numbers PER DAY. This is nothing to play with. Fools will always cause innocent people to die needlessly, in a time like this. The government should make sure everyone follows the preventative measures, and punish heavily the rebellious law breakers.
We thank the lodges in the South Luangwa for funding the check-point at Mphoma Hill.