Myths, fears in coronavirus hotspots

Ms Tina Nambao

WITH her figure cast into shadow by a fig tree, Ms Tina Nambao, a street vendor in Chaisa Township, is selling groundnuts on a table which once served as a stand for her salaula (second-hand clothes) business.

Had it not been for the myth that second-hand clothes being sold in Zambia now are from coronavirus victims overseas, Ms Nambao would still be selling salaula.

But as the fight against COVID-19 in Lusaka intensifies, Ms Nambao finds herself trapped between the myth surrounding second-hand clothes and the reality of living in a township declared a coronavirus hotspot by the Ministry of Health.

 As the epicentre of COVID-19 pandemic, Lusaka has five townships that have been announced as hotspots. These are Ibex Hill, Chaisa, Jack, Lilayi and Makeni.

With such an announcement, living in these areas has become more challenging for some residents who live each day in uncertainty.

Nambao says living in a COVID-19 hotspot has changed her life.

As a salaula trader, Ms Nambao says COVID-19 has hit her business hard because people have stopped buying second-hand clothes on suspicion that the clothes are from coronavirus victims overseas.

Ms Nambao has now changed from salaula to selling fresh sweet potatoes and fresh groundnuts.

“I know food never runs out of fashion and that is why I have decided to try selling food. I used to trade in salaula and I was running at a loss since January when news of the disease broke out,” Ms Nambao says.

There are major concerns that the virus will exert a heavy death toll on the country’s poor, as social distancing is particularly difficult to adhere to in densely populated informal settlements and townships.

In areas like Chaisa and Jack, which have been declared hotspots, some people are still going about their daily duties unmindful about COVID-19 measures.

But Ms Nambao feels there is need for voluntary testing for COVID-19 in various hotspots to demystify the rumours that have caused confusion among the residents.

She says preparedness and response plans should urgently be developed and implemented in order to allay fears the disease has brought in people living in these areas.

“It will be good to have Chaisa clinic declared a testing centre so that people can go there and have check-ups. I think now it is scary, and there is uncertainty among residents. People are ever in-doors and life has come to a standstill,” Ms Nambao says.

She hopes early detection and rapid response, including community-based surveillance within hotspots will help stop the spread of coronavirus.

In most high-density areas like Chaisa, people depend on small businesses like selling tomatoes and vegetables.

“Living indoors for an indefinite period is the hardest for us. We are not in formal jobs,” Nambao says.

She says what is happening in Lusaka now reminds her of Cholera outbreak in 2018.

“We are the big part of the problem. Our townships intensify the spread and transmission of infectious diseases through increased human contact,” she says.

Just like any other business, the taxi business in the COVID-19 hotspots areas has suffered a setback, too.

A taxi driver in Chaisa, John Mubanga, says his taxi business has also been badly hit by the pandemic.

“It is a two-way street. Not only are the drivers terrified and scared, the passengers are, too. When they see a taxi, they think it’s a coronavirus carrier coming to pick them up,” Mr Mubanga says.

He adds, “Before this disease outbreak, I was making K300 every day. But now, things are bad. I make sometimes K50 a day and sometimes nothing. People are scared of taxis and as a driver, I am also scared of my possible customers,” Mr Mubanga says.

In Jack Township, the situation is not different. During a spot check, people were seen going about their daily duties.

Cephas Musuka, a resident in Jack Township, has appealed to Government to introduce the door-to-door COVD-19 testing in order to identify residents who are affected.

“Just telling us that Jack Township is a hotspot does not change anything. We need to know why Government is saying that. Nothing has been shown to us to justify the announcement. That is why as residents here, we find it hard to stomach the ‘reality’,” Mr Musuka says.

In Lilayi, Chewe Mumbi, a resident of Eureka, says nothing has changed much apart from being indoors and not going for work.

Mr Chewe, however, says now he has time for his family and he has dedicated three hours each day to do revision lessons with his twins who are both in Grade seven.

Because of being in an area that has been listed as a hotspot, he has restricted a number of people who visit his home.

“Only my kids miss going out to the malls, but for me, it is a good thing. I have more time for my family now. If I miss a beer, I will just take a glass of wine and the craving is gone,” Mr Chewe says.

In Ibex Hill, Lushomo Chitalu, a mother of five, says as a working mother, the announcement of Ibex as a hotspot is a thought she dreads every day.

Mrs Chitalu says because of the seclusion kind of living in Ibex, it is difficult for residents to know who is affected.

“I fear for my kids, look at how our houses are here. What separates us from one another are wall fences. So, if the wind blows in my neighbour’s yard, it will soon reach in my yard, too. I wish Government can do a door-to-door testing so that those affected can be taken for treatment,” Mrs Chitalu says. PUBISH IN THE ZAMBIA DAILY MAIL ON APRIL 12, 2020. LINK: http://www.daily-mail.co.zm/myths-fears-in-coronavirus-hotspots/