• The 29 Chambers across the country must get their workforce vaccinated.
• Once people are vaccinated, the industry will continue to operating effectively.
• It is a great concern that the vaccination rate has remained extremely low.

Zambia Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ZACCI) has called on the Private Sector to overwhelmingly get its workforce vaccinated.

Chamber President Dr. Chabuka Kawesha said all the 29 Chambers across the country must encourage their workforce to access the available vaccines to protect themselves and the people they interact with.

Dr. Kawesha stated that if employees get vaccinated, various sectors of the economy will continue operating effectively.

“We would like to call upon ZACCI’s affiliate associations, the 29 Chambers across the country and its corporate members to ensure that we get our workforce vaccinated.”

“If one is not vaccinated, we are not protected so it is our appeal that we all get our workforce vaccinated, we get each one within our offices that we interact with encouraged to get vaccinated so that we can protect ourselves,” Dr. Kawesha emphasized.

He expressed concern over the low vaccination rate, further encouraging the private sector to work together and ensure that the virus is contained.

And Dr. Kawesha called on Zambians to support the Covid-19 guidelines that government has put in place to ensure that the country’s vaccination rate increases.

“We can allow the industry to continue operating effectively, it is a great concern that the vaccination rate has remained extremely low, however, we are stronger together and we believe that once we stand up, we will be able to tackle this virus firmly and effectively,” he said.

In order to address the threat of the new variant Omicron and to prevent the advent of a possible eminent fourth wave, Government has heightened Covid-19 measures by among other things, restricting unvaccinated persons from accessing government buildings.