PEOPLE who will get out of their homes without face masks
will from tomorrow be arrested as part of a raft of measures meant to ensure
that the country conforms to Covid-19 lockdown Level Two guidelines announced
by President Mnangagwa on Friday.
President Mnangagwa announced that the country will extend
the national lockdown which was meant to end at midnight today by a further 14
days but downgraded it to Level Two, which entails among other guidelines that
all people must wear face masks of any type, even home-made cloth ones, in all
public spaces and when they are outside of their homes.
President Mnangagwa also announced the reopening of
industry and commerce provided that the companies ensure mandatory screening
and testing and operate from 8am to 3pm. Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of
Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Mr Nick Mangwana told Sunday
News that wearing face masks in public was now law, after a Statutory
Instrument was gazetted by the President yesterday.
On the monitoring of companies to ensure that they adhere
to the 8am to 3pm operating hours, Mr Mangwana said the police would be in full
force to ensure the adherence, revealing that companies will be heavily fined
or lose their licences in the event they are caught on the wrong side of the
law.
Mr Mangwana said while exemption letters were not policy,
administratively authorities would require people to present evidence that they
were part of the bracket of people that were required to go to work as per the
provisions of the lockdown.
“The exemption letters were not part of law as such but
what will prevail is that the police will ask people just to produce proof of
where they are going. For example, when people are going to a funeral, the
police may ask for the proof, which is for administrative purposes but the
policy will then be the number of people meant to attend a funeral. The police
may ask people to prove that they work under the category of industry and
commerce. People can then produce these exemption letters, in some cases, this
can take the form of company identification documents,” said Mr Mangwana.
He said what is important to highlight was that the
informal sector remained closed hence those in the informal sector were not
exempted from the lockdown. Writing on his twitter handle, Mr Mangwana added
that “restaurants and other eateries can sell food but people should not eat on
the premises. They have to take away the food.”
Speaking to our Harare Bureau, Mr Mangwana added: “People
have to understand that the virus is still with us. Nothing has happened to the
virus. We need to continue taking caution and understand that the lockdown is
still in force. However, the directive means that some businesses have to open
but people have to be tested first. If they are found to be positive they will
be quarantined, if they are not they will be allowed to work.”
Asked which businesses will be allowed to open, Mr Mangwana
said: “For example, I asked the President specifically about the saloons, he
said yes, they can operate but only if they are complying with all these
requirements such as social distancing, testing, wearing masks and sanitisers.
The hairdresser who is at work should have a mask. The client who wants to have
his or her hair done should also have the mask.
So the message from the President is that if anyone wants
to start operating, they have to put safety measures first. On tuckshops, it
depends whether they are formal or informal. The President in his statement was
clear on which informal sectors will be allowed to open.”
In announcing the downgrading of the lockdown to Level Two,
President Mnangagwa also said all workers are set to be screened and tested to
prevent the spread of Covid-19. The President said schools, universities and
colleges will remain closed and an announcement on their reopening would be
made at an appropriate time after consultations.
Across the globe, individual countries decide to scale down
the lockdown levels at any given time, based on prevailing conditions, health
officials said. Lockdown Level Five entails drastic measures to contain the
spread of the virus to save lives. At Level Four, some activity can be allowed
to resume subject to extreme precautions required to limit community
transmission and outbreaks. Level Three involves the easing of some
restrictions, including on work and social activities, to address a high risk
of transmission, while Level Two involves, among others, further easing of
restrictions, but there is maintenance of physical distancing and restrictions on
some leisure and social activities to prevent a resurgence of the virus and at
Level One, most normal activity can resume, with precautions and health
guidelines followed at all times.
Meanwhile, Eeagle Liner/Intercity Express bus company will
this week start ferrying Zimbabweans intending to return home from South
Africa, with those wishing to use the bus operator footing their own bill. The
announcement was made by the Zimbabwean Consulate in South Africa which
consulted the bus operators to facilitate the self-funded repatriation of
Zimbabweans in that country. The returnees will pay R600 for the trip and they
will be subjected to 21 days mandatory quarantine at designated centres in
Beitbridge. Those without travel documents should urgently contact the
Consulate to apply for a temporary travel document before booking. Sunday News
0 comments:
Post a Comment