Kafue District Shut Down for Covid-19 Testing

President Lungu has authorised measures to restrict the movement of people in Kafue district from Wednesday in order to facilitate mass tests for Covid-19.

The decision was announced by Health Minister Dr Chitalu Chilufya during his daily Covid-19 briefing on Tuesday. The minister said that, owing to the three cases recorded in Kafue so far, the district was a designated hotspot for Covid-19 and the movement of people therefore had to be brought under control. 

“This is to ensure that health workers do mass screening and targeted testing for coronavirus”, Dr Chilufya said. 

The minister added that the new measures would allow officials to quickly identify new cases in the area, as well as ensuring that currently infected individuals did not pass on the disease to others. 

Shops will be closed and public places disinfected as health officials work to “comb through” all possible infections. 

Dr Chilufya’s message to residents of Kafue district was to “stay home and cooperate with health officials”. 

Starting Wednesday the government will also be conducting mass screenings for Covid-19 in all Lusaka hospitals. Any patients presenting with fever or respiratory symptoms are to be referred for testing immediately and any deceased patients are also to be tested. 

During his briefing, Dr Chilufya encouraged private facilities to cooperate with the government’s advice. Those clinics that do not comply risk being closed down by authorities, he said.