By Dr. Jonas Chanda
I fully support measures just announced by His Excellency President Edgar Chagwa Lungu on the Corona virus disease in Zambia and the “NEW NORMAL” we have to learn to live with, just as we have learned to live with other deadly diseases like Malaria, HIV/AIDS, TB, which actually infect and kill many more people than Covid-19.
The novel Corona virus has affected almost every country on earth with adverse impact on people’s health, livelihoods and economies. However, health experts have stated that the disease is not going to disappear any time soon and others say Corona virus will be with us for a minimum of 2 years, and RECURRENCES cannot be ruled out.
As the President stated, prolonged total or partial local downs will have DEVASTATING EFFECTS ON NATIONS’ ECONOMIES from which recovery may take many years. Borders for a landlocked country like Zambia cannot remain TOTALLY shut as some have called for, and neither should there be prolonged delays in the flow of EXPORTS and IMPORTS, otherwise the economy can collapse with dire consequences. Manufacturing companies, hotel and tourism industry, wholesale and retail shops, bars and restaurants have to gradually open up as failure to do so will result in further loss of jobs and tax revenues for Government, thus affecting Government’s capacity to provide essential services like buying of drugs and equipment in hospitals, paying civil servants’ salaries, meeting debt servicing obligations, etc.
The President has similarly highlighted the devastating effects of the partial lockdown we’ve had on schools, colleges, universities, small businesses (restaurants, bars), cinemas, gyms, etc.
Even the most affecred countries like China, Japan, South Korea, Britain, Italy, Spain, Germany, France, USA and South Africa are all beginning to EASE RESTRICTIONS in a PHASED MANNER just like the President has announced while emphasizing on preventive measures against Covid-19. Most European Parliaments are meeting with social distancing, European football leagues will be restarting this month-end, airlines are beginning to fly with mandatory face masking and other preventive measures, manufacturing, retail and wholesale companies are beginning to open up. In short, life is beginning to “normalise” under the “NEW NORMAL” created by Covid-19.
Like the President stated, all measures in the “NEW NORMAL” are subject to PUBLIC HEALTH GUIDELINES like HYGIENE PRACTICES (washing hands with soap and water or alcohol based hand sanitizers), SOCIAL DISTANCING, MANDATORY WEARING OF FACE MASKS in PUBLIC (in retail shops, markets, public transport, schools, church gatherings), NO SHAKING OF HANDS and NOT TOUCHING THE FACE, MOUTH OR NOSE WITHOUT WASHING HANDS.
In addition, health experts and other key stakeholders have to prioritize COMMUNITY SENSITIZATION and EDUCATION, SCREENING, QUARANTINE, accessible TESTING, CONTACT TRACING among clusters, ISOLATION, and TREATMENT.
The Author is the Ruling Patriotic Front (PF) Member of Parliament for Bwana Mkubwa Constituency in Ndola
Here we go again with these PF idyots discrediting their President. What was wrong with what Ba Edgar said, that that umwana-wa-mbwa Chanda didn’t like? Let’s wait for it’s brother Sunday Chanda to bark too.
I we Chanda just give us the B.O.P- BALLY OF PAYMENTS for this quarter, we see if the decision of not closing boarders had any improvements on our trade transactions and measures did you put in place to ensure that you took advantage of countries that were on lockdown by supplying them with more goods.
Do you need a president to judge things for you? Let the Master die with his cadres as they look for more money in their pockets to use next year. Please citizens quarantine or else you will die like rats. Spanish flu took 23 million to the graves
How difficult is it to get a mature, competent, disciplined and sober mayor for Lusaka? ??? I
Conceding.
“COVID-19 is the new normal, we have to learn to live with it-President Lungu”-LT
“I know”
“I am aware”
From commander in chief.
But ready to pounce on dissenting voice like a ton of bricks.
No presidential debates no IMF funds.
Comes elections only communist can stand up for PF administration.
“US ambassador ‘threatened’ over jailing of couple.
“Daniel Foote said he was “horrified” by the jailing of Japhet Chataba and Steven Samba.”-BBC. IMF are they aware of this?
The Chanda brothers a family of bootlickers and thieves
We thank you. I cannot further to what has been said apart from that I agree with you. The diasporans will always disagree come what may. It is their nature to be sadists because they are being abused abroad. I was sadly reading about the black American man who was shot by two white men in a suspected hate crime. Is this his you guys are living there,? Kz
I think it’s also important to review the scenarios presented in the pandemic and create some new thinking for services and employees if the reopen will be sustainable and healthy so as quickly as safely as possible Segmentation of and sequencing of employees and services must continue as we open up the economic sectors an easy the hardships of lock downs
Those in essential services and public services and utilities could be the first prioritising value and risk propositions Safeguards for work places and employees must be paramount as economic sectors return to normal Its should always be in the mind that public safety must be of paramount without compromise in the work…
I work places and environments on social distancing
Lastly simply reopening without learning from the past and implement new opportunities to implement new health practices to build hardened and resilient economic sectors to respond in future for such pandemics will be retrogressive to the successful measures implemented in this lock down measures Economies must be allowed to open and life lived to be managed as extended lock downs will put the Zambia economy into a deep recession
It’s for each and every Zambian to understand the dangers of covid19. I am a firm supporter His Excellency. However, the damage to the economy is through Zambia not being able to benefit from their rich mineral resources. We can’t increase taxes on Mines, we the people of Zambia have the smallest percentage in ownership of OUR MINES. That is why our economy ails. We have been reduced to beggars on our own land as our politicians sweet talk with outsiders and make silent deals over our Mines. I DO NOT SUPPORT THE ENCOURAGEMENT OF BARS, RESTAURANTS, CASINOS, GYMS ETC. Because it is impossible to social distance in those places. Furthermore, here in the West, they are allowing partial (take away services), from restaurants, cafes.
Zambia needs to maintain and monitor strongly social distancing by making sure Police are actively seen everywhere. And there must remain a high Broadcasting and Advertising of the dangers if Covid19.
Misinformation on Covid MUST stop. The new normal only applies to the length of time we need to prepare vaccines if ever…but it does not mean throwing away control measures at this time. Please understand Covid is more lethal than TB, HIV, MALARIA. It’s genetic Genome pattern includes, HIV and Malaria together, its effects are not fully known and is baffling scientists. New Normal is NOT Back to Normal.
There Is Too Much Witchcraft At State House, Reveals Amos Chanda
Former Special Assistant for Press and Public Relations to the President Amos Chanda has revealed that there is too much witchcraft in state house.
Mr. Chanda says he does not know who has been practicing witchcraft at state house between Kaizer Zulu and freedom Sikazwe.
Mr. Chanda has reviewed that Kaizer Zulu has a human like Ghost that is always in his car and Freedom Sikazwe has three monkeys that help him to jump from one place to the other.
He says despite President Edgar Lungu inviting six sangoma’s from Tanzania every after six months, he has never seen him interacting with any magical being at state house.
According to the Audio obtained by an incognito which will be treated highly confidential because of the…
We need to be quite careful with this virus. If we get into winter with it, we should just count on our immunity. Otherwise nearly everyone will get it. We are too careless as zambians.
Kkkkkk upnd morons in the diaspora
I expect they should be no more debates on covid-19 Zambia. the President has concluded it is the New normal like any other disease that affects Zambians. MOH should stop misleading the nation and instilling fear in ordinary people who are more likely to die of hunger than covid-19 Zambia.
PAY RETIREES AT PSPF.
Anyone named Chanda cannot be taken seriously.
hon Dr Jonas Chanda PF MP for bwana mkubwa? I can’t even read his article.. He is a PF cadre essentially isnt he?. Obviously as a PF cadre we can expect him to support his president, even if the president u-turned tomorrow and the next day again he will still write a statement to support. For him as an MP it’s an opportunity to earn recognition as a staunch and even blind supporter in order to purchase re-adoption in 2021. Its the kind of stooge we have in our “leadership”.
Pay the retirees before they all kick the bucket, half down now.