Ndola City Council to close all it markets for 48 hours to facilitate thorough cleaning to prevent Covid 19.
The local Authority has given directives to have all the city’s 33 markets closed for 48 hours to facilitate for thorough cleaning as a way of preventing the spread of Covid 19 virus disease.
Ndola Town Clerk Wisdom Bwalya announced yesterday that Saturday March 22 and Sunday March 23 all the markets will be closed for a thorough cleaning as a way of preventing the spread of Covid 19 Corona virus.
Mr Bwalya who held a stakeholder sensitisation meeting with public service transporters and market trade leaders in the Council Chamber at the Civic Centre said, providers of various services should protect themselves by having sanitisers and trading from a clean environment.
He said as part of the Corona virus preventive measures, NCC has started distributing two bags of lime to be spread where garbage is being removed and in areas surrounding ablution blocks.
He urged the bus crews and market traders to observe personal hygiene and ensure to it that there they were not only concentrating on keeping their hands clean with sanitiser, but also wash their entire bodies correctly.
“I am appealing to you as representatives of the traders and public transporters to go flat out and disseminate this very important information and ensure that everyone understands the importance of this exercise. Let us join hands, work as a team and fight this disease. I am positive that we can fight and prevent transmission and contamination of Covid-19, Corona virus,” he said.
Ndola Deputy Mayor Kennedy Kasaba said the Council was facing financial challenge such that it was important for marketeers to support the local authority by paying user fees.
The Deputy Mayor warned that any trader or bus owner who will not comply will be dealt with immediately.
He said all the monies raised from market levies was being used to finance the cleaning of the environment on market areas.
The Council has urged transporters and traders to have hand sanitisers as it will be carrying out random inspections.
The Council is further requesting bus operators and shop owners to disinfect passengers hands when they disembarked and embark from buses.
The Council is also advising shop owners to disinfect all parts of the shops especially where consumers touch frequently.
The Council yesterday through its public health department also took time to educate the traders, buses and taxi crews members about the Coronavirus, how it is transmitted and preventive measures that should be undertaken.
Further the council would like to remind that it will ensure that Statutory Instrument No. 21 & 22 of 2020 are adhered too.
All public places are required to ensure provision of hand washing facilities and sanitation and all public places must keep their environments clean, failure to which they will risk being closed down.
We would also like to remind liquor trading places to ensure that they abid to the recently adjusted hours and close operations by 22:00hrs.
Liquor trading places, restaurants in the city are also advised to ensure that they adhere to the pronounced public health requirements and ensure that patrons are sanitized upon entrance while their waiters, bar tenders and various workers observe the epitome of good public health standards.
We would also like to remind all church gatherings to ensure that they limit their service to one hour as guided by the Ministry of Health.
Together we can fight COVID-19, help us to ensure that the spread of this virus be curtailed, remember to wash your hands frequently with soap.
Avoid touching your face, cover your mouth when you cough or sneeze, maintain social distancing and if you have a fever, cough or difficulty in breathing seek medical help but call in advance.
