PRESIDENT Edgar Lungu has announced that Zambia recorded eight new cases of COVID-19 in the last 24 hours, four of which are health workers.
President Lungu has, however, decided to reopen churches with a condition that they adhere to prevention measures like social distancing and wearing of masks.
President Lungu has also reopened barbershops and salons while allowing golfing activities.
Meanwhile, during his address today, the Head of State said food security would be the biggest problem post COVID-19.
He has since directed chain stores to source all agricultural products from local farmers.
“Following expiry of the 14 day extension period of restrictions and other control measures, I announced in my last address to the nation; I now update the nation on the current position. As of today, 24th April 2020, eight additional cases of COVID-19 have been recorded in Zambia; four of the cases are from the community while the other four are hospital personnel. The cumulative number of cases in Zambia is now, 84, including three deaths. 37 patients have recovered from the infection and 44 patients remain under isolation but all are in stable condition, except for one patient being treated for severe malaria. 15 healthcare workers have so far been infected with COVID-19 while in their line of duty. Two have recovered while 13 are stable and remain in high spirits,” President Lungu said.
“Like,I said in my second address to the nation on Thursday, 9th April, 2020, the frontline workers are the real heroes of our times and they need massive support from us. They are leaving their families for days to contain the enemy on our behalf. They are doing this at great risk to their own lives and those of their families. They are protecting our lives day and night and they are saving lives of the sick. I pay tribute to them and wish those who are sick quick recovery so that they continue to do what they do best, saving our lives. This is why my directive in my last address to the multi-sectrol response led by the Minister of Health, to ensure these men and women are protected at all times cannot be over emphasized. For the work they do, let us pay back to them by ensuring they are protected at all times. I, therefore, direct that the multi-sectrol team to ensure that all the resources that have been sourced so far, especially the personal protective equipment (PPES) are quickly availed to these front line workers.”
He said the current economic challenges the country was facing could have been worse if the country had a complete lock down.
“As we strive to preserve the country’s health security by scaling up COVID-19 control interventions, we remain alive to the impact these interventions have on the economy of the country. Our expenditure on COVID-19 has been unplanned; our exports are constricted. Copper prices are all time low. Tourism has been run a ground due to COVID-19. The exchange rate is not as it should be; and businesses out there are hurting. I feel your pain! I do not need to mention you individually but i know that little outlet that has been closed brings nshima to your table. That little outlet that has been closed pays your rent. That little outlet pays school fees. But it could have been worse had we locked ourselves completely to avoid COVID-19 from coming to Zambia,” he said.
“There are other questions that require answers, which have an impact on the social-economic affairs of our country bearing in mind that currently our national budget has been thrown into disarray as a result of the COVID-19. If we maintained the status quo of the controlled movement of our people and restriction of some business due to the pandemic, where will the money come from for the many other important programs? Where will we find money to pay salaries for our public service employees?Where will we find money to pay retirees? What about FISP? What about the money for social cash transfer? Where will we find money to buy the much needed drugs for our hospitals? What about debt repayment obligations? What about fuel importations? When and how will the children get back to school? It is now over a month since schools were closed and the children are locked-up in homes. Some of them literally with no modern facilities such as internet? Who will harvest the crops for our national food security? Who will deliver farming inputs? How will we distribute food relief? The jury is out on these questions! ”
And President Lungu said through the lessons and experiences learnt from the last month, he had authorized church gatherings, selected sporting activities while schools, bars and night clubs remained closed.  
“Based on the lessons and experiences learnt from the last one month where we have generally done well with containing the COVID-19 pandemic, we now know that we need to be cautious in reopening the key areas of our economy subject to public health regulations, guidelines and certification.We are still determining the extent of the disease through escalated testing and screening to assess when we shall reopen our economy fully,” President Lungu said.
“However, I have decided that some activities such as the following may continue being undertaken normally subject to adhering to public health regulations, guidelines and certifications: Places of worship may congregate while observing social distancing, mandatory face masks and sanitizing and hand washing guidelines; sporting activities such as golf and tennis, which do not involve physical contact between players where the sport is played in non-crowded space, can begin to be played but bars in those premises will remain closed; barbershops and salons may continue to operate with strict adherence and observing social distancing and regular sanitizing and hand washing.”
He warned that failure to adhere to the public health regulations would attract penalties including revoking of licences.
“Failure to adhere to the public health regulations, guidelines and certification, will attract penalties including revoking of licences at any given time. I am therefore directing law enforcement agencies to pursue any offenders. The general public are equally encouraged reporting any cases of non-adherence to these measures to relevant authorities. Let us be each other’s gate keepers.The government will continue modification of the implementation of COVID-19 interventions to facilitate continued economic activity and a gradual return of daily life to normalcy. We note that drastic change to current preventive and control measures could erode the gains attained and the situation could get out of control. Therefore, modification of control measures will be informed by the evolution of the outbreak,” he said.
“The main COVID-19 control strategy going forward shall continue to centre on prevention of infection, case finding through increased testing, isolation of cases, swift and thorough tracing of contacts, community engagement, and case management. The war we face today can only be won and conquered if, apart from you and I adhering to the new normal, you also allow health workers to conduct massive testing and contact tracing in our communities. These form the cornerstone to overcoming COVID-19 and shall be achieved through intensified surveillance at points of entry; targeted community screening and testing; and routine screening and active case search in healthcare facilities, particularly patients with respiratory symptoms. Also critical is mandatory use of masks in public; physical distancing; and observance of personal hygiene measures, including hand washing and respiratory etiquette.”
President Lungu further directed that the Ministry of Commerce, Trade and Industry to ensure that chain stores prioritise local agricultural products in their localities.
“Every dark cloud has a silver lining. The current situation we find ourselves in opens a window of opportunity for Zambian farmers to produce and sell their products to chain stores that for a long time have denied them business and opted for foreign products. I am, therefore, directing the Ministry of Commerce, Trade and Industry to ensure that chain stores prioritise local agricultural products in their localities. If a chain store is in Chipata let them buy agriculture products from our farmers in eastern province. Under the circumstances we are in, only products that cannot be sourced from locals should be imported. I hope that once this is actualised, even after COVID-19, our farmers will continue trading with these chain stores. I encourage citizens to form cooperatives to ensure they meet quality and safety demand,” President Lungu said.
He also instructed Finance Minister Dr Bwalya Ng’andu to pursue other options such as consolidating available resources in various empowerment funds  
“We need collaborative action in the coming months. Only by working together can we make significant progress in mitigating the impact of COVID-19 on our socio-economic development. The COVID-19 pandemic has proved to us today that we are facing challenges that are global and interconnected. However, we are a developing country and we will feel it more than many others in terms of social economic impact. For this reason, I am instructing the Minister of Finance to pursue other options such as consolidating available resources in various empowerment funds so that these may be disbursed to small businesses, women groups, youths and the most vulnerable that have been hit the hardest,” he said.
“I look forward to the Ministry of Finance to creating a COVID-19 economic recovery fund that will help existing businesses, especially affected SMEs to remain stable during this period and beyond. The K10 billion loan facility I announced in my second address which is under the bank of Zambia could be part of the resources identified to this fund. I am also directing the Minister of Finance to identify other sources of funding to help beef up this fund so that as many businesses as possible may benefit.”
He urged the Citizen economic Empowerment Commission (CEEC) to look at proposals for new bankable businesses that could be funded during the COVID-19 outbreak.
“In order to create new businesses aimed at taking advantage of the void that has been created by reduced exports to Zambia because of COVID-19 lock downs, the Citizen Economic Empowerment Commission (CEEC) should look at proposals for new bankable businesses that can be funded. My priority is wealth creation by creating new Zambian businesses. I will need regular updates from CEEC on the implementation of their proposals. I have also instructed the Minister of Communication and Transport and Smart Zambia to support better digital infrastructure and skills, and to formulate digital trade and e-services. This also applies to the ministry of education which is working hard to drive e-learning and television education in the country,” said President Lungu.
“Beyond COVID-19, our future economic growth will need to tap into emerging digital opportunities. E-services in the health sector will also be encouraged, including mobile phone-based diagnostic tools to ensure that those in need obtain the required information through out the crisis. The Ministry of Agriculture is instructed to encourage and support farmers to grow winter maize and engage in other agricultural activities to ensure that we create new businesses during this period.”
21 Responses
Wow thanks to you father for reopening Churches
Churches are opening? The very same ones whose pastors went social distancing like the rest of us sinners?
Enter your comment here…Thank you so much Mr president for reopening the churches,God
bless you and God bless the republic of Zambia
By Hims
We are living dangerously!
The address by His excellency Dr Edgar Lungu today April 24, 2020 to declare a partial relaxation of some businesses and churches lives much to be desired.
Imagine the very day he holds a press conference, relaxing other outlets , eight(8) cases of covid- 19 have been recorded. What is going on with our so called President.
Are really his close health experts doing him justice? Churches , for heaven’s sake are too susceptible to fast spreading of the covid- 19 virus. Churches as everyone knows are crowded places. Allowing churches to open is more less saying schools should be opened. The church is a hive of activities and the so called social distancing is difficult to achieve. It compromises the whole essence of public health measures set through the SI in line with the prevention of the Coronavirus.
What could be the motive behind this relaxation by the PF government? Do they envisage more cases and deaths then think of a complete lockdown? If not, then why?
Please if you have the heart for Zambians reverse your declaration for the good of the citizens.
Already your minister of health chitalu chilufya and Dora siliya aka Slit are on record saying people with a compromised immune system are more prone to contract the covid19 virus. And these people are more found in churches , barbershops and salons just to mention a few where social distancing is so much compromised.
What then is the main objective of this declaration Mr President?
May you be so cautious with some of your advisors. There kind of advice lames your presidential legacy. They are up to tarnish your name as being one president Zambia has ever had who never took time to siff through information given by his advisors. Any information given is taken as gospel truth which is very dangerous for a head of state.
People are dying and covid- 19 cases are on a rise daily and your excellency you go ahead to relax some areas on pretext that the economy may be affected. Then what is more important between saving lives and having a thriving economy which in turn will come to a halt when human resource is wiped out due to CCoronavirus.Anyway, the answer is well told by the archtects of the relaxation measure.
For now I rest my case.
Stay home , stay safe.
2 covid 19 cases, church’s where closed now it’s at 82 cases ba segulal church ala ba zafa Bantu sure maaa…
Covid 19 cases are likely to almost double in the next 14 because of increased crowding places……..God is everywhere so we can pray anywhere and he will answer.
I wonder if the presidents advisers are real advisers because how can places of worship suddenly be opened for business as this pandemic is getting worse in our country. That’s really stupidity on every level and reckless thinking.
God help us all.
God gave us dominion over all things because he gave us a brain to distinguish bad from good. Tanzania has recorded a lot of cases because the decided to keep churches open. This thing has come and we need to stay home to survive. Keep yourself and yours safe, stay home people!!!!
The number of Covid 19 patients is increasing & the president decides to re-open churches….that’s not good at all. What has prompted this decision? The idea may come from your advisors but i believe you have the final say. I am dissappointed.
Who is putting pressure on you HE to re-open the churches? This decision will cost you.
I hope the churches will think through this decision made by the president and act wisely. Let us not follow blindly just because its the president who has said it. He is just human and may make decisions that are not right at times. So let us be careful. Its better to save lives than help in increasing the number of covid cases.
When there were 2 cases, churches were closed. Now there are 84 cases churches are reopened.
Wowbam failing to put this together. Does it mean that the virus will be remaining outside when people enter church buildings and reinfect them when they leave the church premises again?
What a decision to make during this crisis.
New research has come up and they are saying social distance should be 13 feet not the 2 meters they said.
And our president should reopen the churches and advise social distance and mask wearing. How will the 13 feet be achieved in church?
My people perish for lack of knowledge.
This is when you will be able to know who a true man of God is. The one who cares about the people and not money ( offering and tithe).
GOD HELP US.
That’s great Mr President
Now you are thinking him for reopening the churches later you will be on the news as one of the Covid 19 carries think of your well being and that of your family and friends remember if you are not INFECTED you are AFFECTED
Rest in peace zambia.
Now the opening of churches will bring more cases, cause no one will want to stay home after a long time going to church. Even social distancing they won’t follow it
We give thanks to God for he iz good
I dont its right for President to allow church gatherings so fast when Covid 19 cases are still going up, because its not very easy to completely adhere to mitigation measures in such gatherings. He should have waited for the numbers to start reducing or stabilize. And point of correction to the reporter, the president didn’t say he had reopened salons and barbershops, he said they continue operating because he had not ordered their closure after all!
Of what I c is that they went to c the number of cases going up 4 the dept they have to b cancelled but this is the wrong way to go and it up to each one of us not the President to protect our self church they can b open but stay home
If you never worshipped God in your home even in public worship you don’t. You just attend church to keep up appearance. What you do on a Sunday should be a reflection of what you do in your every day life. Some of us have decided we won’t be meeting, we’ll continue with online sermons, to safeguard people’s lives. The cases are on a rise, so church leaders should not always dance to what the president has said. Use your God given wisdom and protect lives.
Zambia has been independent for 55 years. How many ventilators are there in the intensive care unit. I can count them with my fingers on my hands. These are equipment needed in the fight of COVID-19. They can travel abroad for treatment while you foot the bill. Yet the hospital that you and I have to access do not have even the basic medicines. Other countries with better health facilities are advising against social gatherings as this disease is spreading like wild fire. Yet we have individual who think the kind better. I will read your obituary.