Zambian bars, nightclubs to start operating on “take away” basis

Authorities in Lusaka, the Zambian capital, on Wednesday directed bars and nightclubs to start operating on “take away” basis to avert the escalating COVID-19 cases.

The new measures are expected to last for an initial 14 days subject to review.

Lusaka City Council Public Relations Manager George Sichimba said the local authority reached the agreement with the Bars and Night Club Owners Association of Zambia during a meeting.

“As opposed to the total closure of bars, the meeting settled for operating on take away basis to allow operators clear the old stock,” he said in a statement.

Deputy Mayor Christopher Shakafuswa said in the statement that bar or night club owners who will fail to comply with the new measures risk having their licenses revoked.

The local authority has also suspended all social gatherings for the next 14 days with immediate effect.

This means that no permit for social gatherings such as weddings, kitchen parties and other marriage ceremonies, he added.

He however said funeral gatherings have been restricted to only 50 close family members while religious and political organizations have been advised to devise other ways of reaching out to their members.

The Zambian capital has become the hotspot in the second wave of the pandemic

Out of 850 new cases reported on Wednesday, the Zambian capital accounted for 448 cases.

Zambia’s cumulative cases have reached 23,495 with 417 deaths. Enditem