The Sunday Mail
Society Reporter
US-based poet, publisher and playwright Thomas Stearns Eliot once said “All our knowledge brings us near to our ignorance, all our ignorance brings us nearer to death, but nearness to death, no nearer to God.”
This seems to be true in light of the goings-on in various communities around the country.
Some private businesses such as unregistered grocers and traders of cellphone accessories are using the relaxation of the lockdown as a convenient cover to resume operations.
Unfortunately, these enterprises do not strictly enforce public health guidelines that make the use of masks, disinfectants and temperature checks mandatory — that is if they enforce the guidelines at all.
It is feared that such recklessness might expose the public to possible Covid-19 infections.
The carnage caused by the coronavirus, which has claimed four lives in Zimbabwe, continues across the globe.
Although the lockdown was relaxed, health authorities still insist that it is mandatory to maintain social distancing, including wearing face masks as well as using hand sanitisers to reduce the spread of the virus.
Public and private businesses are being encouraged to disinfect their premises and screen both workers and customers.
But most of the hand sanitisers that are being used by these businesses are of questionable quality.
“This is just to get the police off our back, otherwise all these rules are simply burdensome,” said one shop attendant to The Sunday Mail Society after being asked to explain the liquid that was being used as a sanitiser.
Unfortunately, such window-dressing is becoming commonplace.
Most small business operators argue that hand sanitisers are expensive for them.
A 150ml bottle of the product costs between US$3 and US$5 or the local equivalent at the prevailing interbank rate.
“My employer is so stingy. This shop is busy and imagine how many bottles of the precious liquid we will need to buy per day. He has advised us to improvise. Thus, we make use of domestic detergents like bleach, which are much more affordable and readily available,” said one shop attendant.
Some of the shops cannot be bothered to ensure that their customers wear face masks.
“The Government directed people to wear face masks. We have masks and if our customers come in without masks, it is their problem not ours. It is them that will get arrested.”
It seems most people fear being arrested more than the virus.
A local health expert, Dr Takudzwa Mutsvanga, believes that “clear-cut standards will help safeguard people’s lives, because currently people are using whatever they think is correct and no one is keeping check”.
National Response to Covid-19 chief co-ordinator Dr Agnes Mahomva said the public has a duty to flag operators that were putting people’s health at risk.
“These people need to be reported; they are breaking the law and have to be dealt with. Our taskforce is promptly responding to reports. Some businesses will be forced to close, while others pay heavy fines for violating lockdown regulations,” she said.
“The public should be our eyes and ears. They need to report. It is them that will end up infected by the disease if they do not act.”
Meanwhile, laboratory tests conducted by Standard Association of Zimbabwe (SAZ) and Bureau de Veritas last week revealed that 24 out of 52 sanitiser samples from different companies failed to meet set standards.
