Written by Chisomo Chimenya
Lilongwe, March 30, 2020:Lilongwe City Council (LCC) has stepped up measures in protecting Lilongwe City markets from Coronavirus by disinfecting Tsoka Flea Market in the city on Sunday.
Malawi News Agency witnessed the shutdown of gates leading to the two markets on Sunday as the council was about to disinfect the markets.
LCC Spokesperson, Tamara Chafunya said they have introduced the system so that everyone should be free from the deadly virus, especially the market users.
“As one way of safeguarding our markets, we have introduced this system so that we can disinfect the markets with chemicals that will protect the markets from Coronavirus.
“We believe the lives of people are more important than money itself and a place like a market accommodates a lot of people, as such we closed the markets yesterday so that we can get them disinfected,” she said.
Chafunya said following the state of disaster declared by the country’s State President, the city council has decided to disinfect each and every market within the city on Sundays so that they should be free from the virus.
However, Chafunya did not disclose the next market or other markets to be disinfected but rather said the next day after the disinfection it would be usual business for the market.
One of the vendors at Tsoka Market, Benson Phiri said his business was affected on Sunday following the market closure but said he was not worried much for he believed what the city council did was the right thing.
“We are happy with what the city council has introduced. Getting our markets disinfected will help us to be conducting our day to day activities in the market with confidence knowing that we are free from the pandemic,” she said.
The city’s PRO further assured the public that the city’s next step will be to focus on spacing in the market, but now the local council wants to ensure its markets are disinfected regularly.
