This archive report was first published on 2 October 2021.
On Friday, Zambia announced the complete lifting of coronavirus restrictions, effective from the weekend. This decision comes despite the country's low vaccination rate, with just three percent of eligible people fully vaccinated.
According to Health Minister Sylvia Masebo, the government has decided to lift the restrictions due to the reduced transmission of Covid-19 in Zambia. She stated, “Following the reduced transmission of Covid-19 in Zambia, the government has decided to lift the restrictions.”
Restrictions on gatherings in venues like places of worship and bars have been in place since last year. These restrictions were implemented to curb the spread of the virus in Zambia, a poor, landlocked country with a population of 18 million people.
As of now, there have been over 209,000 confirmed coronavirus cases and 3,650 deaths, with one death reported in the past 24 hours. From Saturday, there will be no limits on the size of religious gatherings, while bars, markets, shops, and nightclubs can operate as normal, and everyone can return to work, Masebo said.
The lifting of the restrictions will be re-examined after one month, she added. For now, mask-wearing, social distancing, and regular disinfection of public spaces will be kept in place.
Health Minister Masebo also warned that Zambia could suffer large numbers of seriously ill people and deaths in a fourth coronavirus wave, given low levels of inoculation. She urged citizens to take advantage of the available vaccines and get vaccinated, saying, “If indeed the projected fourth wave will be worse than the third, our low vaccination coverage puts us at a higher risk of severe disease and death. Let us all take advantage of the available vaccines and get vaccinated.”
President Hakainde Hichilema has also urged citizens to get vaccinated, stating that he, his wife, and his children had all received two-dose courses. The country has been distributing Johnson & Johnson, AstraZeneca, and Sinopharm shots.
Across Africa, just over four percent of eligible people have been fully vaccinated against coronavirus, far behind the rates above 60 percent seen in the world's wealthy nations.
