Cabinet has made a number of resolutions meant to curb the spread of the coronavirus at poorly sanitised food markets.
The resolutions were announced by Women’s Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprises Development, Stembiso Nyoni during an after cabinet media briefing in Harare on Tuesday. Nyoni said:
As a precautionary measure to curb the transmission of COVID-19 at food markets, which are characterized by crowding, poor sanitization and lack of reticulated water, Cabinet resolved as follows:
(a) that the restructuring of the vegetable markets bays in line with COVID-19 protocols be done in all vegetable markets;
(b) that markets operate a six-day-cycle with mandatory closure for disinfection on the seventh day;
(c) that all vendors at stalls should exercise extreme precaution like the use of sanitisers and consistent hand-washing with soap and running water; and
(d) that a targeted Information Education Campaign is conducted to promote a new-normal among traders and customers at these markets. Government will also come up with measures to be enforced in other places where people converge in large numbers.
This comes amid reports that there is increased complacency at food markets amid a surge in the number of coronavirus cases in the country.
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