AUTHORITIES are considering lifting the current coronavirus
curfew as the country records increasingly fewer infections and more recoveries
from the lethal disease, the Daily News reports.
However, medical experts — taking into account what the
World Health Organisation (WHO) said earlier this week — have warned that it is
too early to conclude that Covid-19 is definitely under control in the country.
Speaking in Parliament on Wednesday, Defence minister Oppah
Muchinguri-Kashiri, pictured, said Zimbabwe had flattened the Covid-19 curve,
as there was now “equilibrium between increases in infections and increases in
the recoveries”.
“The success story is pointing to the good mechanisms that
we have put in place, including the curfew which we introduced after a very
scientific review which analysed our capacity and capability.
“Decisions that we make are informed, whilst thorough
research is done. If and when we are satisfied that the environment is
conducive, we will consider that (curfew review).
“At the moment, there is equilibrium between increases in
infections and increases in the recoveries. So, it is important that we
continuously review as we improve,” Muchinguri-Kashiri, who is also the head of
the Covid-19 taskforce, said.
“We do have … experts who study the situation within our
region and also we work very closely with the WHO.
“At the moment, as I have alluded to, we have reached an
equilibrium stage in our statistics. We are satisfied that our interventions
are bearing fruit,” she added.
As of Wednesday, the country had recorded 6 638 positive
cases, 206 deaths and 5 250 recoveries. The recovery rate constitutes about 80
percent of the confirmed infections.
So far, 205 650 people have been screened for the pandemic
nationwide since the disease first broke out in the country in March this year.
But health experts warned yesterday that authorities should
not take it as a given that Zimbabwe had flattened the Covid-19 curve — further
imploring them to test more people to be able to conclude scientifically what
the exact situation in the country was.
“It is difficult for now to say we have won the war against
Covid-19. We need to do more tests. If we deal properly with the issue of tests, we will be
able to know the correct figure of positive cases. For now it is difficult to
conclude so.
“Let us remain focused,” Norman Matara, the
secretary-general of the Zimbabwe Association of Doctors for Human Rights
(ZAHDR), told the Daily News.
“We must know that there are some people who are not going
for tests and these people recover at home. So, and for now, we cannot have a
definite conclusion.
“On the ground, we had already relaxed (lockdown measures),
but what we need to do is to strengthen our health institutions so that we have
the capacity to treat those who come to hospital,” he added.
The president of the Zimbabwe Nurses Association (Zina),
Enock Dongo, dismissed outright the authorities’ conclusion that the Covid-19
curve had flattened — saying the low new infection levels were a result of few
tests being carried out.
“It’s not true that we have managed to flatten the curve.
The government is not doing anything … People are not being tested. There is a
need to increase tests.
“People must remain vigilant because cases can go up.
People must continue to follow WHO guidelines because the world is still
fighting this pandemic,” Dongo told the Daily News.
This comes as WHO has warned that it is dangerous for
countries to open their economies without enough safeguards.
Addressing a virtual meeting with journalists earlier this
week, WHO director general Tedros Ghebreyesus said coronavirus was still a
threat.
“Eight months into the pandemic, we understand that people
are tired and yearn to get on with their lives. We understand that countries
want to get their societies and economies going again. That’s what WHO wants
too,” he said.
“Stay-at-home orders and other restrictions are something
that some countries felt they needed to do to take pressure off their health
systems.
“But they have taken a heavy toll on livelihoods, economies
and mental health. WHO fully supports efforts to reopen economies and
societies. “We want to see children returning to school and people
returning to the workplace, but we want to see it done safely,” Ghebreyesus
added.
WHO’s warning comes as local authorities are planning to
partially reopen learning centres ahead of the forthcoming end of year
examinations.
However, teachers have claimed that the government has done
little to improve infrastructure at schools to enable a safe return to classes.
Zimbabwe faces its first test on gatherings of many people
when all examination students return to schools for face-to-face learning on
September 14.
The decision to allow examination classes to reopen has put
the authorities at odds with teachers who insist that the government is
ill-prepared for the safe relaunch of in-class learning.
The teachers have since set tough conditions for their
return to face-to-face teaching. Despite the criticism, Muchinguri-Kashiri said
this decision was taken after extensive consultations.
“A lot of research was done by the Ministry of Primary and
Secondary Education, together with the ministry of Health, and they are
responsible for making recommendations to the taskforce and the task force also
recommends to the Cabinet.
“So, at the moment we are very satisfied that it is the
statistics, the interaction which they undertook with all relevant
stakeholders, that has been done and both indicated that they are happy.
“All measures have been put in place to make sure that the
environment will be safe to allow examinations to take place,”
Muchinguri-Kashiri further told Parliament.
“So, with that situation, we want to assure the nation that
as I have indicated, everything is science-based. We undertake research to make
sure our level of error is minimal,” she said further. Daily News
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