The Economics Association of Zambia has asked medical practitioners to advise the Business Community on ways in which they can prevent the spread of the coronavirus whilst businesses open.
Dr Lubinda Habazoka, the Association President says businesses need to open as continued closure is killing African economies and has warned that if Zambia continues like this for 2 months, it shall never recover from this economic downturn.
Dr Habazoka has said that looking at the number of new cases and fatality around the world, the virus is definitely not a danger in Zambia and Africa.
Below is a full write up by Dr Habazoka….
As EAZ President, I have spent this week moving around markets, shopping malls and other business places.
One thing I have observed is that in compounds such as Mtendere, kamanga, chaisa and other places, business is running as usual. There are overcrowding and no sense of social distance.
In the upper markets, business is at a standstill. Malls have no people. Shops are closing down. Business is almost at a standstill.
At the hospitals, we only have 41 active COVID cases!!!
Our borders are almost closed. Stocks are dwindling in shops! Very soon some imported things will disappear.
It’s now 6 months after the COVID campaign was hyped by the media.
Looking at the number of new cases and fatality around the world, the virus is definitely not a danger in Zambia and Africa. Yes, it’s deadly in a lot of cases but that have spoken to that have it say symptoms disappeared quickly.
That doesn’t mean that COVID is not a killer!! It is!!!
All am saying is that as economists, we are tired!!! We ask medical practitioners to sit down and tell us ways in which we can prevent the spread of the virus whilst business is open!!!
We need to open up business! We are killing African economies! Those people in Mtendere are not dying in numbers but are heavily congested at markets.
Schools and gyms can remain closed! But the hospitality industry should open!!! It employs a lot of people!!!
If we continue like this for 2 months, we shall never recover from this economic downturn!!!
Let this be a national decision and not a government decision. No one knows what will happen in the future! No one knows how things will move so no one should be blamed for consequences of opening up!!! But we need to open up!!!!
Mines should go and mine!!
Bakeries bake! Bars brew!! Restaurants serve!!
Schools and churches should be closed for now!!!
Africa needs to open up its economy otherwise economically we shall be dead! This is our time to take advantage of the situation and advance our opportunities as Africa!!!
My submission!!!!
In as much as I love my bro Lubinda he needs to understand that we also need to balance that with public safety. That is why our advisors in this regard range from economists to medical practitioners. We then will take a balanced risk based approach to any decision we make. Meanwhile, I can’t wait for the next invitation to dinner with your family my brother. Last time your wife cooked us a lovely Russian meal. Very delicious. Kz
Hear hear!!!! Ati Coronavirus Ni yaku vyalo kweka? Says Mr Ignorant
There is no way we can survive if they continue locking the economy
Meanwhile, every day brings new cases of coronavirus to Africa; and while the continent is yet to experience a full blown outbreak.
Have a great weekend everyone Remember to wash your hands !
Awe kwena , kuti wa papa.
Says the fat Russian trained economists who supported unsustainable debt borrowing five years ago …now he is putting an economic argument ahead of a public health problem…only a delusional fooooool would take this chubby boy seriously.
Everyone including Taxi drivers on the ground know that the numbers being announced by the crook Chilufya are flawed and cooked.
All am saying is that as economists, we are tired!!! We ask medical practitioners to sit down and tell us ways in which we can prevent the spread of the virus whilst business is open!!!
We need to open up business! We are killing African economies! Those people in Mtendere are not dying in numbers but are heavily congested at markets.
You can not reason with a silly buffoon like this one!!
This is the correct thing to the right thinking association!!
GOOD ARGUMENTS FROM EAZ BUT CAN SOMEONE QUICKLY INVESTIGATE WHY COVID 19 CASES ARE SO LOW IN ZAMBIA AND ELSEWHERE IN AFRICA.
BUT SEEM TO BE HIGHER IN SOUTH AFRICA?
ANY CONNECTION WITH PERMISSIVENESS TO HOMOSEXUALITY?
“There is an inverse relationship between the level of hygiene and the incidence of allergies and autoimmune diseases,” says Dr. Delespesse. “The more sterile the environment a child lives in, the higher the risk he or she will develop allergies or an immune problem in their lifetime.”
A STERILE ENVIRONMENT CAN LEAD TO IMMUNE PROBLEMS, REMEMBER HOW YOU GRAND MA USED TO DISPISE YOUR MUM IF AND WHEN SHE DISCOURAGED YOU FROM PLAYING IN DIRT, MOST WESTERN AND ASIAN NATIONS HAVE LOST THAT TOUCH OF SELF IMMUNISATION THROUGH CONTACT WITH ENVIRONMENT.
Only in Africa will a guy with a PhD in economics from a village agriculture university in Russia can become the head of a country’s economic association and a business school. In USA/Europe he would be lucky to be a taxi driver
Why is Zambia so dysfunctional?
Why don’t we have frequent indabas on matters of national concern? What is clear is no one under the Sun has the Monopoly of wisdom! We can’t wait for Chilufyanya to mislead us again. We need Trump-like Decision making sometimes.
I agree with this man
TheEngineer – our Zambian economists must a very docile lot to be paying subscription to chaps like this fat boy even LAZ members would not stand for this…really laughable…this what PF wanted FAZ to be under their football dribbling campaign mascot residing in RSA.
But where is SADC in all this? Each country is doing it’s own thing. No coordination whatsoever. Not even video conferencing by our leaders. Is it just there to legitimize rigged elections by declaring them ” free and fair” despite violence, sitting governments impunity in use of state resources for campaigns, corruption & bribery, clamping down of opposition etc.
Handsometiser – Of course you agree I bet you didnt even digest the contents of the article…”Mines should go and mine!! Bakeries bake! Bars brew!! Restaurants serve!!” Who told him that Bakeries and mines are closed…you can mine but where are you going to send it? Just like those oil ship tankers stuck at sea as no one is buying the black stuff. This is a useless bootlicker spewing rubbish not even Lazy Lungu takes him seriously
Valid points from a critical observer on the ground and all you see is contradiction. Shooting the messenger instead of analysing his message. There’s something untold going on behind all this and a lot of it has to do with a vaccine which will soon be presented to the world including Africa.
With each day that passes, the more people’s minds and eyes will be opened. Decades from today, generations will be asking how the whole world economy could be crippled by the fear of a preventable virus.
In Economics class do they teach that Bars BREW beer ai? Fat ”us”!
I think that they should wait until after cold season in Zambia.
I mean this fat economist is exactly the type corona kills easily.
Be careful what you wish for fatso.
So this is the buffoon who advised Lazy Lungu to reopen Gyms and Casinos…the Gym is the last thing that should be opening and Casino we all now Lungu has business interests in them.
Only an imbecile will say that
With his infamous reputation, I would not for once take this man’s advice.
I have my own hypothesis that I have repeated here recently. Africa appears to have a resilience probably built on an immunity profile to pathogens overtime – which may include malaria. Our population is one of the youngest. Over 40% of deaths in Europe have tragically been amongst the over 75 (high life expectancy but coupled with adverse commodities)
Nevertheless, to sustain our advantage would require more robust responses than the haphazard ones we have seen, including the false sense of security exhibited here. Our losses, although lower than Europe’s will still be major in our context with an attitude based solely on the economics, rather than the science, while cushioning the vulnerable with a social…
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