IN THE wee hours of yesterday, Lusaka Province Minister Bowman Lusambo swung into action and dispersed hundreds of residents he found exercising on the Makeni flyover bridge for failing to adhere to coronavirus prevention measures. Some residents of Chawama, Kanyama and surrounding townships have taken advantage of the absence of traffic on the bridge to undertake physical fitness in the morning and evening. Mr Lusambo, who arrived on the scene at 04:30 hours, was shocked to find hundreds of people, including children, jogging without observing social distancing. He is saddened that some people are disregarding the presidential directive to stop the spread of coronavirus.

“Exercising is not bad, but we are in COVID-19 period and we are trying by all means to contain the disease, especially here in Lusaka, which is an epicentre,” he said. The minister asked the crowd to disperse because they failed to comply with COVID-19 prevention measures. Mr Lusambo is disappointed that some parents and guardians are allowing their children to engage in activities which can easily expose them to the global pandemic. “We found people squeezed with no masks.

They are not observing social distancing and they are not washing their hands. As Lusaka Province Minister, I have a battle to win, especially in townships,” Mr Lusambo said. He called for a change to the strategy in the fight against the novel virus. “I am disappointed because most of the people I found are children aged between 10 and 15 years, the others are ladies. It will be very hard to contain the disease when it enters townships. “We need t o i n v e s t i n sensitisation in townships. We need to do more of sensitisation,” he said in a video posted on Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation website.

Mr Lusambo urged people to be responsible and refrain from frustrating efforts by Government and other stakeholders to curtail the disease. “Despite the President talking and talking, we have these people disregarding the measures with impunity. This disease is deadly. We cannot allow children to be here. I will engage councillors and Members of Parliament… this is their job. “If I came with police, people would have accused me of using the police. This is a desperate situation,” he said. One March 18, 2020, President Edgar Lungu ordered the closure of gyms and bars, among other social places, in an effort to end the spread of coronavirus. Coronavirus cases are rising in Zambia, with 125 cases recorded since March.