LUSAKA, April 6 (Xinhua) -- In efforts aimed at preventing the further spread of COVID-19, the Zambian government announced a number of measures for people to adhere to.
Among the measures included banning public gatherings, all drinking places, non-essential travels, and hand shaking as well as banning people from COVID-19 high risk areas from entering the country.
The government further closed three of the country's four airports, among other measures.
Another measure announced was social distancing, where people must leave at least one to two meters between them.
However adhering to social distancing has proved to be a challenge especially in densely populated areas and trading places such as markets.
In markets there is no enough trading place, forcing people to be over-crowded while public buses overload passengers, making social distance a challenge to observe.
Government has acknowledged this and expressed concern that failure to adhere to social distancing poses a huge challenge in fighting the pandemic.
President Edgar Lungu recently expressed concern over the failure by people in highly populated areas to observe social distance.
The Zambian leader said it was imperative for people to observe social distance because it was one of the effective measures to prevent further spread of the pandemic.
For Miles Sampa, mayor of Lusaka, the country's capital, social distancing needs to be adhered to but noted that it was proving difficult in markets and other trading places.
Last week, the local authority removed vendors from trading on the streets in the central business district as part of efforts to reduce overcrowding and promote social distancing.
Chief Government Spokesperson Dora Siliya said it was important that all citizens understand the importance of social distancing as it was the only way to ensure safety.
Speaking when she launched a campaign to promote social distancing, Siliya, who is also Minister of Information, said it was of grave concern to the government that people in high density areas and public places were not portraying behavior change.
The "Social Distance Campaign", she said, places emphasis on keeping a meter apart and raise awareness for people to observe the measures put in place to contain the pandemic.
Zambia has not been spared from the COVID-19 pandemic. The country has so far recorded 39 cases, and one death. Three patients have been discharged after treatment, leaving 35 patients still in isolation centers.
