Blantyre City Council clear vendors out of streets

Blantyre City Council (BCC) has used police force to clear vendors out of the streets as part of its intensified measures to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

The council deployed law enforcers in the streets on Wednesday following the ban issued on Monday.

The City Council’s  lockdown measures include ban on  street vending, bridal showers, night clubs, sporting activities, wedding ceremonies, engagement ceremonies and other social gatherings.

Wednesday morning all street vending areas within Blantyre City, there was tight security and nobody was doing his or her business along the Blantyre City roads or in the shop corridors or veranda of the shops.

BCC mayor Wild Ndipo has issued the directive among many preventive measures the council has undertaken following President Peter Mutharika’s declaration of a State of Disaster last Friday.

BCC appeals to butcheries, food stalls and hawkers to support the initiatives by providing hand-washing utensils for use by their customers.

In the same vein, the council has ordered worshipping houses, shops and offices to provide hand-washing facilities.

The council has since declared a month for a Make Your Environment Coronavirus Free Campaign and has promised to use the law to enforce the measures on non-compliant residents.