The Sunday Mail
Harmony Agere and Veronica Gwaze
As the country tries to ride out the coronavirus pandemic, it has been the informal sector that has been mostly affected.
Muted business activity has severely eroded incomes.
Although the Government has progressively relaxed the lockdown imposed in March by allowing formally registered firms to resume operations, informal businesses that are not covered by the dispensation by virtue of being unlicensed have only been able to resume their cat-and-mouse game with law enforcement agents.
Many believe that the only solution is for the pandemic to be contained or eliminated.
While many people have been scrupulously following prescribed health guidelines and protocols since March, when the lockdown began, fatigue seems to be creeping in.
Social distancing, wearing face masks and consistent use of hand sanitisers is no longer being considered a priority.
As such, Covid-19 cases have been rising.
The country recorded five deaths on Monday alone, raising the spectre that the trend might continue if urgent action is not taken.
Second Wave
World Health Organisation (WHO) country representative Dr Alex Gasasira says the country might be plagued by a second wave of the coronavirus if preventative measures are not strictly followed.
“Whenever someone is infected, they develop some level of immunity.
“It, however, seems that the duration of this immunity is not for so long, so if the person is exposed to an infected person when their immunity has come down, then they can become infected again,” said Dr Gasasira.
New infections, he added, could lead to an exponential spread of the disease.
“As we have seen, Zimbabwe has been registering an increase in new cases in the last four weeks. This is similar to what we are seeing in many cases in Africa.
“In the last four weeks, over 20 countries in Africa have registered an upward trend in the number of new confirmed cases, so Zimbabwe is among these, and we need to do everything possible to reverse this upward trend.
“Every new confirmed case is a risk towards that second wave . . . so we have to tell the communities and the people of what they need to avoid new infections.”
WHO believes communities should be educated about the importance of preventing and stopping new infections.
Gatherings
There have been increased public gatherings and movements over the past couple of months.
Pirate transport operators, bars and nightclubs are flagrantly disregarding standing health protocols.
“The Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) reminds Zimbabweans that the country is still under Covid-19 lockdown measures, which include a curfew that runs from 10pm till 6am,” said ZRP spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi.
“The enforcement of these health, safety and security measures is still paramount. Police has noted with concern that some sections of the public no longer value the wearing of face masks, observe social distancing guidelines, sanitisation and public gathering restrictions . . . the public should avoid being complacent and co-operate with law enforcement agents to curtail the spread of the pandemic,” he said.
It is believed that a total lockdown would not be in the best interest of everyone, and, therefore, there is need to take every precautionary measure possible to avoid new cases and fatalities. A survey carried out by the Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency (Zimstat) in July this year revealed that about 25 percent of both rural and urban households were unable to buy maize-meal — the country’s main staple food — during the peak period of Covid-19.
It indicated that at least 20 percent of the households who needed medical treatment were unable to get it during the period.
Reduced income and movement contributed in reducing the ability to buy food, medicine and pay for distance learning for school children.
Government efforts to improve the food security situation was affected by the pandemic.
Jobs were decimated.
“The Covid-19 pandemic had a considerable impact on employment. Roughly, 64 percent of respondents reported having a job before the imposition of mobility restrictions and this was reduced to 51 percent in July 2020,” reads the report.
“Urban areas were most affected by job losses as 18 percent of respondents were working before Covid-19 but were no longer working in July 2020.
“The most commonly cited reason for no longer working was business closure due to Covid-19 lockdown restrictions.”
Government intends to balance growing the economy while at the same time aggressively safeguarding public health.
