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Association of Vendors and Marketeers of Zambia (AVEMA) says a human face should be considered as government implements health measures to curtail the spread of cholera.
The association observed that the directive by the Local Government and Rural Development to stop selling ready-to-eat foodstuffs on the streets needs to be reconsidered.
The Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development has directed all councils countrywide to enforce all necessary laws and by-laws to ban the sale of read-to-eat foodstuffs on the streets to curb cholera cases.
AVEMA president Abel Chikwa said in an interview on Monday that cholera cannot only affect those who sell in the streets but also in homes and super market.
“We are ready to work with authorities, there is need to emphasize more on hygiene, markets and streets need to be clean instead of imposing measures that can bring misery among our people,” Chikwa said.
Read more :Partner with traders to prevent cholera outbreaks in markets —Govt urged
He said the country needs to observe hygiene and all health protocols than prohibiting people from buying from the streets which will have a telling effect on the livelihoods of the people.
Chikwa observed that most of the people who ply their trade in the streets and markets have small capital which can collapse if they did not sale even for day.
He said his association was ready to work with local authorities in the country to reduce exposure to cholera by ensuring that sanitation and hygiene were observed at all-times .
Chikwa said there was need to strike a balance adding that the country can overcome cholera but perpetuate poverty among the people should not be entertained.
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