The Human Rights Commission has called for increased funding towards public and community health awareness activities on COVID 19 to foster positive behavioral change towards the New Normal.
The Commission has observed low levels of compliance with Health Regulations and Presidential Directives on Coronavirus particularly in peri-urban and rural areas where there is misinformation and myths relating to COVID 19.
Commission spokesperson Mwelwa Muleya says it is a source of concern that despite daily statistics of people testing positive for coronavirus, some people are still spreading false information that there is no coronavirus in Zambia and are claiming that the statistics on people testing positive are a fundraising venture.
Mr Muleya says this kind of information is endangering the fundamental rights to health and life as it has the potential to contribute to lowering the guard against prevention by some people.
He said it must, therefore, be urgently redressed through increased dissemination of correct information.
“While the Commission commends the Government for allowing trading in markets and street vending during the outbreak of COVID 19 in order to promote socio-economic rights of individuals and families, it is equally concerned about the low levels of adherence to public health regulations and guidelines”, he said.
Mr Muleya said the Commission has observed that some traders and buyers in markets and on the streets were not maintaining social distancing, regularly washing and sanitizing their hands and were not wearing face masks.
He said such low level of non-compliance to health regulations practices poses a serious risk and complication to fighting the prevention and spread of coronavirus.
Mr Muleya said this is because in an event that there was a confirmed case of coronavirus, adequate contact tracing within the public markets and street vending value chain will be almost impossible.
He has also called on marketeers and street venders to strictly adhere to the health regulations for their own, their family and customers’ public health safety.
Mr Muleya said above all, the Government must prioritise funding towards public health education and community awareness activities in order to enhance prevention and improve compliance with the Health Regulations and Presidential Directives on coronavirus.
He has commended the on-going capacity building of health workers and it is hoped that it will contribute to the reduction of the worrying cases of health workers contracting the virus.
Government please Pay Retirees at PSPF. Why did you pay retirees who retired in 2018- 2019 leaving those who retired in 2016-2017? We have been waiting for so long why this confusion now?
What is human rights doing commenting on matters of COVID-19? Leave that to the medical professionals and the minister of health who is doing a great job already. Please make yourself relevant when we arrest the perpetual loser at next year’s elections.
If you keep overstepping your mandate, we will cut funding to your organisation like Trump cut funding to WHO.
We should actually abolish this organization because human rights in our country is some of the best in the world. Here is even dogs can whinge whine about the PF government without any repercussions. So we don’t need a human rights body just siphoning money from the treasury. Kz