Zimbabwe is in the grip of the third wave, driven by the
Delta and Beta variants and has recorded new cases daily of 1 249; 1 331 and 1
357 on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, respectively.
The number of deaths over the same days were 12, 28 and 19
in that order. Health experts warned that compliance with the lockdown measures
was poor and that about half of the country’s 15 million population was at
risk.
Announcing new COVID-19 measures at a Press conference
yesterday, Home Affairs minister Kazembe Kazembe said the police was enforcing
the lockdown measures, but government could release the army to enforce
compliance.
He was flanked by Defence minister Oppah Muchinguri and
State Security minister Owen Ncube.The ministers had just come from a Joint Operations Command meeting at
Chaminuka House, the Central Intelligence Organisation headquarters.
“In accordance with the emergency status we may find
ourselves in, the government can call upon any security institution to
implement the measures should there be that necessity,” he said.
“The law allows the government when the requirement to call
any security institutions if the need arises but as for now, the police will be
enforcing. But if the need arises, the government will call any security
institution to assist in enforcement.”
Government deployed soldiers to enforce the first lockdown
in April last year, which led to an outcry over human rights abuses during the
period.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa, since he went into power
through a military coup in November 2017, has deployed the soldiers several
times, including to quell protests over the delay in releasing the results of
the presidential elections on August 1, 2018 and brutally clamp down on fuel
price hike protests in January 2019.
Six civilians were killed in the first instance, while 23
people were killed in the 2019 protests clampdown by the soldiers, with
thousands left nursing bullet wounds, while women were raped and tortured.
Under the new measures, bars will be banned from opening,
Kazembe said. “In response to the spike in COVID-19 cases and fatalities across
the country amid the third wave as well
as the spread of the deadly variants such as the Delta variant, the security
forces will ensure strict adherence to the level four COVID-19 lockdown in line
with World Health Organisation protocols,” he said.
“All citizens are mandated to wear masks properly and
strictly practise social distancing. Failure to wear face masks is a punishable
offence, given the threat posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Security officers will enforce strict compliance of the
COVID-19 regulations without fear or favour.”
Added Kazembe: “In an effort to curb the spread of
COVID-19, security forces will ensure that pirate taxis known as mushikashika
are decisively dealt with as part of the COVID-19 measures. Those found
violating the measures will be dealt with decisively.”
In June, police arrested 51 018 people for failing to wear
masks properly. Health experts have expressed concern over non-compliance of
the lockdown measures, which they said was likely to trigger a surge of new
infections.
Health experts have warned that half the population could
contract the virus in the next two weeks if strict enforcement measures are not
implemented. Newsday
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