Where is COVID-19 education?

THAT there are still some Zambians who are still in the dark about the deadly Covid-19 pandemic which is sweeping the globe like a wild fire is worrying and mind-boggling. This is a serious setback in the fight against the pandemic, which is fast spreading and has seen the nation record 70 confirmed cases in the last 24 hours as of Tuesday. Three lives have already been lost to the disease in Zambia while 210 countries globally had recorded 2,424,419 cases with 166,256 deaths while 625,199 people recovering. It’s undeniable that since the disease crossed the borders of Zambia months ago, sensitisation campaigns by various stakeholders on the dangers of the virus have been going on in strategic places such as markets and other public places. That’s not all; the Ministry of Health has continued to disseminate information about the disease and prevention measures through radio stations, TV, mobile phones, via public address systems and other strategic platforms. How possible is it that the residents could have still remained ignorant about the disease with a robust awareness drive that had been put in place? In our view, sufficient awareness has been created about the dangers of the pandemic among the vast majority of Zambians, more so that bars, schools, churches and higher institutions were ordered to shut. It is with this in mind that we beg to disagree with residents of Situmbeko, Kabangalala, Chilo and other areas in Katuba Constituency in Chibombo in Central Province that they were unaware about the Covid-19 outbreak. As aresult, it was business as usual for them. This is unacceptable, considering the proximity of Chibombo to Lusaka and Kabwe, which have both recorded positive Covid-19 cases. There is no way people in this part of Katuba constituency could be completely in the dark about the disease when their children were not going to school and some bars had closed in line with the presidential directive and health guidelines. Could it be that nobody owns a radio or TV and there is no nearby clinic in this part of Katuba where residents would naturally access information on the disease?   It’s either the residents are not telling the truth or just don’t want to adhere to the health controls and presidential directives. If indeed they were not aware of the pandemic and have been going about with their normal lives since the outbreak of the virus last month, then it is highly probable that people in those areas were at risk as they may have come in contact with positive people from Lusaka or Kafue. With the person-to-person transmission soaring, we urge the Ministry of Health to visit the areas and carry out mass testing and screening before it was too late. We refuse to buy into their excuses and urge them to take Covid-19 seriously and join the rest of the country in observing the prescribed health guidelines. They must stay safe by wearing masks, observing social distancing, sanitising and strictly observe the other recommended interventions and stop claiming they were ignorant about Covid-19. While many Zambians were now adhering to the measures, there is still need to carry out more sensitization among citizens to ensure no excuses from people and majority of the citizens obey the regulations.