As the number of
confirmed Covid-19 cases in Zimbabwe passed 1 700 yesterday, with more than
half the patients infected within the country, the Government has decided that
only civil servants providing essential services should now report for work
while Chinhoyi University of Technology should close after a lecturer tested
positive.
After a meeting of the national Covid-19 taskforce,
Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Service Minister Senator Monica
Mutsvangwa said the two decisions were a reaction to the rising number of local
infections and deaths.
Latest figures from the Ministry of Health and Child Care
show that 133 new infections were confirmed on Sunday, 116 of them local, and
102 new infections yesterday, 81 of them local infections within Zimbabwe
including one death in Matabeleland North found after a routine post mortem
test.
This brings the total number of confirmed cases to 1 713
with 26 deaths. But the growing trend is of more community infections rather
than imported infections found in quarantine centres, the total number now
confirmed to have been infected within Zimbabwe is 872, with those returning
residents being found positive while in quarantine numbering 841. For the first
time local infections outnumber those among returnees.
Bulawayo is still the worst hit province and city, with 490
of the local infections and 12 of the deaths, with Harare on 212 local
infections and eight deaths.
So far 472 people are confirmed as recovered.
Speaking on the taskforce decisions, Minister Mutsvangwa
said: “The taskforce directed that only those civil servants who were approved
by the Public Service Commission to provide essential service should report for
work, with the rest remaining in lockdown. The taskforce also received a
presentation on the distribution of local positive cases across the country,
which cannot be linked to an identifiable source. While these positive cases
are dotted throughout the country, they are mostly concentrated in Bulawayo and
Harare.”
The closure of Chinhoyi University of Technology followed
standard policy.
“Following the recorded infection at the Chinhoyi
University of Technology and in line with the guidelines for the re-opening of
universities and colleges, the taskforce resolved that the said institution
undertake all necessary and sensible steps to close,” said Minister Mutsvangwa.
Several private companies, finding an infection or cluster
of infection in a business unit have followed the same policy, closing the unit
temporarily while full disinfection and testing is done before there is any
decision to reopen the unit.
With the spikes now being seen the Government will not be
continuing to ease lockdown provisions.
“The country remains under lockdown and as such the
Government continues to provide food to the vulnerable in our communities and
also to those who have been severely economically affected by this lockdown,”
Minister Mutsvangwa said.
So far 202 077 people had benefited from the Covid-19
informal sector relief fund, which is targeting 1 million beneficiaries. A lot
of people in the informal sector have been unable to earn their living since
the lockdown was instituted.
Minister Mutsvangwa said Zimbabwe was getting aid from
China for borehole drilling in Masvingo and Manicaland provinces with priority
being given to schools.
Last week, the Cabinet deferred reopening of primary and
secondary schools.
Acting Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health and
Child Care Dr Gibson Mhlanga yesterday allayed fears that official figures were
not inclusive of cases being recorded in the private sector press statements.
All results of all Covid-19 tests carried out at accredited
laboratories are sent to the ministry immediately after they become available.
“The laboratories that do the tests report to the ministry
so that we collate the information and communicate it through our daily
bulletins,” said Dr Mhlanga.
He said organisations have an obligation to communicate
with their staff and clients on new health developments.
“Companies have the prerogative to inform their
stakeholders if cases have been recorded. Organisations doing so are not
flaunting any rules; it is above board,” he said.
“The problem is people sometimes think information is being
hidden. Some may even say they know of cases that happened in other places and
use that as a basis for saying we are not painting the full picture, which is
not true,” said Dr Mhlanga.
Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Permanent
Secretary Mr Nick Mangwana said Government has begun tightening screws around
the movement of people in response to the spike.
“Security is being tightened to ensure only essential
services can be allowed through to central business districts,” Mr Mangwana
wrote on his Twitter.
Employers have also begun working on modalities to
decongest their workspaces.
South Africa has recorded 5 033 deaths from 364 328 cases
of Covid-19, with around half of all infected people now recovered. This is the
fifth highest number of cases in the world, although South African death rates
are far lower than countries with similar totals. Herald
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