The Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage Minister Kazembe Kazembe has said police officers interacting with the masses while carrying out their day to day duties are being exposed to the virus that has killed over 150 000 people worldwide.
Kazembe Kazembe said police officers in their frontline duties across the country need 35 000 masks per day to protect them from contracting the virus.
The Minister made these statements while receiving a donation of 5 000 reusable face masks, 16 automatic hand sanitizers and 20 000 latex gloves from Puma Energy:
We are receiving PPEs from universities, donors and other stakeholders but the numbers we require are huge.
The enforcement officers on the ground require around 35 000 masks per day if they are not reusable. This is a huge number in any language. However, efforts are being made to ensure we have adequate PPEs for our frontline officers.
Kazembe Kazembe’s remarks come at a time reports from beyond the borders are indicating that members of the police force are also contracting the deadly virus while executing their duties.
More: The Sunday Mail