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BARS and Night Clubs were given the go ahead to operate on a temporal basis just last week but it is clear that no lesson was learned in the 6 month Covid-19 suspension.Reports coming out of the Copperbelt mirrors the sceanrio in many parts of the country where the leisure spots are operational outside of the 18:00 to 23:00 hours rule and absolutely zero Covid-19 protective measures are being taken.Bars and night clubs in some townships in Kitwe have defied the guidelines on opening hours and opting to operate beyond the stipulated days.A check in Buchi, Kwacha and Bulangililo townships found many bars operating beyond stipulated days and going into the early hours of the following day.Some bar operators interviewed said that the hours and days that were given were not enough for them to make profits.President Lungu in his speech at the opening of the Fifth Session of the Twelfth National Assembly announced that bars and night club owners would be operating on Friday to Sunday from 18:00 hours to 23:00 hours.What is shocking is that the business owners are more concerned about profits than the health of their customers.Of what benefit would the pursuit of a profit be if the majority of the “regulars” end up hospitalised?Unfortunately some of the bar owners still insist that the operational hours should be increased despite the risk their conduct poses.“The economy is bad at the moment in the country and if we are given only a few hours and only three days to operate, how are we going to survive?” one of them wondered.They appealed to Government to either consider increasing the number of days of operation or completely open the facilities.They further assured that for the sake of making ends meet, they would strictly follow the health guidelines against the Covid-19.Recently, secretary-general of the Bars and Nightclub Association of Zambia Edmond Lifwekelo said the partial lifting of restrictions on bars and nightclubs was a step in the right direction following the prolonged slump in business.Lifwekelo said the industry was a huge provider of jobs for thousands of people in the country and about 47,000 of the association’s members were affected by the closure.Zambian Breweries also announced a “Responsible Together Campaign” aimed at sensitizing bar and nightclubs to observe health guidelines following the removal of the restrictions.The entertainment industry may provide guaranteed business but the risk to workers and patrons is real.The municipal authorities are equally of the view that bars and night clubs are not demonstrating the requisite seriousness in abiding by public health rules.The Kitwe City Council maintained that owners of the facilities must only operate within the time frame announced by the Head of State.Additionally, they should ensure that they meet public health requirements for them to be issued with Health Compliance Certificates in readiness for partial reopening.Council Public Relations Manager, Chola Mwamba, said that bar and night club owners should always bear in mind that the permitted days of opening night clubs were Friday, Saturday and Sunday only.“Bar and night club owners are advised to come to the public health department for compliance inspection. No bar or night club will be allowed to re-open without compliance inspection,” Ms Mwamba said.It is pointless to ask for more, when the little that has been given is not appreciated.
The Bars and Night Club owners must play their part in ensuring Covid-19 is eradicated and should desist from thinking only of fast money which ultimately will result in permanent loss.
