AfricaPress-Nigeria:<\/p>\n
When Arnold Muchenje* (44) disembarked from the bus in Harare, he felt as if he was entering a different world. He had travelled from Johannesburg which had recorded 116 positive coronavirus cases as of Wednesday afternoon. But those he met upon his arrival in Zimbabwe seemed more worried about the country\u2019s economic crisis than about the pandemic.<\/p>\n
Zimbabwe has yet to record a single coronavirus case.<\/p>\n
In Harare\u2019s Central Business District, no one is wearing masks or covering their mouths. People are still hugging, shaking hands and kissing each other on the cheek. Rarely is hand sanitiser provided within any of the city\u2019s offices and public facilities. Life continues exactly as it did before the coronavirus outbreak began.<\/p>\n
Muchenje said there was no trace of nervousness he had felt in some parts of South Africa over the outbreak of the virus. \u201cIn Johannesburg, I saw people who were nervous. The situation is different here. It is as if this corona is a foreign disease which will not reach these shores,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
He added that he believes it is a matter of time before the virus enters Zimbabwe.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith all the people coming from South Africa and other places freely, the virus will surely come. I think people here have not enough information. If the virus is to come, they won\u2019t know what will have hit them,\u201d he said, as he passed vendors selling their wares near the city\u2019s Copacabana taxi rank.<\/p>\n
One vendor, Dorcas Mlambo (29) said she had heard about Covid-19, but that the virus was not her immediate worry. The thing uppermost in her mind is providing for her family.<\/p>\n
\u201cEven if this virus is to come. I will continue coming to town to sell. If I stay home what will my children eat? As you can see, things are getting worse under Mnangagwa. Mugabe was better,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Mlambo\u2019s economic worries come amid moves by the Zimbabwean government to lift restrictions on forex changing. The new policy has resulted in price hikes as the local currency, the new Zimbabwean dollar, rapidly depreciated.<\/p>\n
Zimbabwe\u2019s government has been more proactive in dealing with the coronavirus threat than some other governments in the region, however.<\/p>\n
On Tuesday, Mnangagwa declared a National Disaster, and postponed major social events including the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair and the 40th Independence Day celebrations. He also said that all sporting fixtures had been suspended, and banned public gatherings of more than 100 people, including for religious purposes and weddings, for the next 60 days. Schools will be allowed to finish the remaining two weeks of the current term.<\/p>\n
On Wednesday, just a day after announcing the ban on public gatherings, Mnangagwa addressed a Zanu-PF rally in Manicaland that was attended by hundreds of people and several cabinet ministers.<\/p>\n
Last week, opposition MP Tichinani Matevera \u2014 who is also a medical doctor \u2014 told Parliament that the government\u2019s claim that Zimbabwe was prepared for Covid-19 was questionable.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur central hospital at Parirenyatwa ICU for the whole of this region has got four working ventilators and those people will need life support. I think when we talk about prevention and readiness, we have to be comprehensive but I do not think we are ready. We are only ready in terms of saying it has not come but when it comes it will be a disaster. The health workers will run away and that is actually what they are saying,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Matevera said some health personnel had not been adequately trained and that Zimbabwe did not have the equipment necessary to prevent the spread of the virus.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need to improve on our screening tools. Our screening tool which we are using at our port of entry is not sensitive enough to pick all the potential people who are going to bring in infection into Zimbabwe.\u201d<\/p>\n
Precious Shumba, the director of Harare Residents Trust, said that the government\u2019s recommendation to wash hands regularly may be difficult to implement in some parts of the city.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe requirement to wash hands regularly as a preventive measure is good but in most communities there is no water,\u201d Shumba said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
AfricaPress-Nigeria: When Arnold Muchenje* (44) disembarked from the bus in Harare, he felt as if he was entering a different world. He had travelled from Johannesburg which had recorded 116 positive coronavirus cases as of Wednesday afternoon. But those he met upon his arrival in Zimbabwe seemed more worried about the country\u2019s economic crisis than […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":20865,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,1361,6,7],"tags":[1279,239],"class_list":{"0":"post-20863","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-all-news","8":"category-coronavirus-in-zimbabwe","9":"category-economy","10":"category-files","11":"tag-coronavirus-in-zimbabwe","12":"tag-economic-chaos"},"yoast_head":"\n