2 mts read
- After 76 new cases were reported in Nakonde, the border town, the Zambian government has announced the closure of its common border with Tanzania
- The Nakonde – Tunduma One Stop Border Post (OSBP) was launched in October 2019 by the two Presidents from Zambia and Tanzania
After 76 new cases were reported in Nakonde, the border town, the Zambian government has announced the closure of its common border with Tanzania. At a COVID-19 press briefing on Sunday, the Health Minister Chitalu Chilufya announced that the president has directed that with effect from Monday 11th May, 2020; “the Nakonde border will be temporarily closed. There shall be no traffic in and out of Nakonde.”
The Nakonde – Tunduma One Stop Border Post (OSBP) was launched in October 2019 by the two Presidents from Zambia and Tanzania at a grand ceremony . It is touted as one of the busiest crossing points in Southern Africa with an average traffic flow of 600 trucks per day. The OSBP reportedly slashed down the time spent at the border from the average of 4 days at the time of launch to 1 day. The Border Post therefore cut down the delay as well as helped truck drivers and traders increase on their profit and save time. The Zambian President stated that once fully operational, the border will handle higher traffic levels which will improve competitiveness of the corridor resulting in higher trade volumes. He hoped that the OSBP will promote border coordination making the shared border smart and efficient.
The Zambian government said that redeployments and reinforcements will be undertaken, while Personal Protective Equipment and quarantine facilities and other key logistics will be reinforced to protect the lives of officials and the people of Nakonde. During the time, immigration staff at the border will be trained and retrained on how to safely deal with entry of persons and goods.
Zambia is one of southern Africa’s most impacted nations by coronavirus, though far behind continent leader South Africa. Recently President Edgar Lungu had relaxed the lockdown imposed by him in line with the continent-wide trend. Addressing the nation he announced the reopening of restaurants, gyms and casinos and urged Zambian scientists to find local solutions to the COVID-19 pandemic,
