LUSAKA, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- The Zambian government on Wednesday announced tough COVID-19 measures on public transporters as part of efforts to curb the spike in cases.
Minister of Transport and Communications Mutotwe Kafwaya said public transport has been identified as one of the key avenues through which the pandemic was spreading in addition to public gatherings.
"In line with the revised government strategy and measures on the fight against COVID-19 and to prevent the spread of the virus through the public transport system, government through the Ministry of Transport and Communications has developed the following standard operating procedures which all public transport operators should comply with without fail," he said in a release.
Among the measures include carrying the number of passengers in accordance the registration requirement in order to curb overloading, mandatory masking by drivers, conductors and passengers as well as frequent and routine sanitization of public passenger vehicles.
Other measures include provision of handwashing materials and hand sanitizers in public transport vehicles, mandatory temperature reading, and ventilation.
The police and road safety agency has since been instructed to enforce the measures and that any public transporter who will violate the measures risk their licenses being withdrawn.
Zambia has recorded a spike in COVID-19 cases, with the cases currently standing at 11,376 and 282 deaths. Enditem
