HARARE municipal police were given temporary arresting
powers through the SI 77 of 2020 as the fight against Covid-19 intensifies in
the country with local authorities shutting down vending markets as a way to
decongest and curb the spread of the deadly virus.
Statutory Instrument (SI) 77 of 2020 authorises any local
authority to evacuate, close, alter, or if deemed necessary, even demolish any
premises considered likely to favour the spread of the coronavirus.
Speaking to the Daily News, City of Harare spokesperson
Michael Chideme said the municipal police will indeed disperse crowds and the
powers are for a timeframe of two months.
Acting chamber secretary Charles Usaviwevu Kandemiri also
confirmed that municipal police have been designated enforcement officers in
terms of the Public Health (Covid-19 Prevention, Containment and Treatment)
Regulations, 2020 (SI 77 of 2020).
According to the SI, the chief executive officer of every
local authority shall furnish each enforcement officer referred to in paragraph
(b) of the definition of “enforcement officer” who is acting within the
jurisdiction of the local authority with a certificate signed by or on behalf
of the chief executive officer stating that he or she has been appointed as an
enforcement officer for the purpose of these regulations.
“An enforcement officer may order any individual or group
of individuals who have been confirmed, clinically or by a laboratory, as
having Covid-19 to be quarantined for a period of up to 14 days within their
homes or in a hospital or place of isolation,” the SI reads.
Harare City Council added that members of the public are
expected to cooperate with the municipal police when enforcing the provisions
of the regulations.
“Failure to cooperate constitutes a criminal offence
punishable in terms of the regulations,” they said in a statement.
Meanwhile, Bulawayo City Council has shut down the Khothama
weekend market and limited the number of mourners attending burials to 30.
Zimbabwe has recorded five confirmed cases of Covid-19 and
one death while neighbouring South Africa has recorded two deaths and more than
900 infections.
Social distancing is being enforced worldwide to curb the
spread of the deadly virus. Daily News
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