Vaccines Mandatory For Civil Servants As Covid Measures Beefed Up

The government has beefed up measures to tackle the spread of Covid-19, including mandatory vaccination for all civil servants.

From Tuesday, Health Minister Silvia Masebo has announced that unvaccinated people will not be able to enter government buildings. Ms Masebo said that the government was making it a requirement for civil and public servants to be vaccinated in order to come into work, however discussions with unions are still ongoing. 

The health minister also announced that from tomorrow, masks will once again be mandatory in public spaces, including bus stations and markets. Failure to wear a mask in a taxi or private vehicle will result in a K250 fine, with the owner of the vehicle facing a K1,000 fine. 

Any shopkeepers found not wearing their masks will be charged K2,500 while shop owners will be fined K15,000 for not wearing a mask in the back office. Anyone attending a political meeting or rally will be billed K20,000 if they refuse to wear a mask. 

Ms Masebo further outlined that travellers arriving in Zambia from high-risk countries will be made to quarantine for ten days at their own cost. The police and local authorities have been instructed to step up their inspections to ensure adherence to the new rules.

The measures come amid concerns about the new Omicron variant of the coronavirus first spotted in South Africa last week. A number of countries, including the United Kingdom, have since placed Zambia and other southern African countries on their travel red lists. 

Although little is known about the new variant, it is significantly more mutated than the previous Delta variant, leading to concerns that it may spread faster and be partly resistant to immunity conferred by vaccines and previous infections.

Speaking on Sunday, Ms Masebo said the government was aiming to pick up its vaccination programme, with a target for 2 million Zambians to be vaccinated by Christmas Day. Earlier, President Hakainde Hichilema had directed the Ministry of Health to provide one million vaccines to all health care facilities across the country.

The President has warned of an immanent fourth wave of infections facing Zambia and has urged all citizens to get vaccinated as soon as possible. He advised that getting vaccinated ensures that those who contract Covid-19 do not get severely ill and can help limit the spread of the virus.