COVID-19 LATEST: Zimbabwe’s military is back in the streets for the next three weeks after President Emmerson Mnangagwa announced a mandatory 21-day national lockdown in a bid to slow the outbreak of the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic.
Mnangagwa announced that he will be deploying the security forces to enforce the 21-day the national lockdown on Friday night. The national lockdown will start from Monday 30 March 2020.
Below are some of the highlights from the President’s address about the 21-day national lockdown:
- Only food markets to remain open, others to close
- All public transport, except Zupco, is suspended. Social distancing is recommended in Zupco
- Motorists seeking to refuel will not be allowed to leave their vehicle
- Informal markets to be closed
- Formal shops to open for 4 hours daily
- Exemptions for sanitary wear, bottled water, bread, sugar, maize meal, pharmaceutical businesses
- Millers have been DIRECTED by Command Centre to IMMEDIATELY STOP supplying maize-meal in CBD FORTHWITH. All deliveries to be made to RESIDENTIAL areas only.
- Mass transport operations suspended, except for employees in essential services
- Employers and staff to negotiate salary cuts for duration of lockdown
- National command element of security deployed to complement civilian efforts
- Funerals exempted but numbers should be less than 50
- Only food stalls will be allowed to operate, none food stalls will be closed
- Ministry Of Health and Child Care will work with Ministry of Information during this period to update the nation
- A toll free hotline, 2019, has been set up
- Govt is decentralising COVID19 testing services
- The government will come down heavily on those unscrupulous businesses who seek to profiteer out of the situation.
- Legal instruments being put in place to deal with and punish those who case alarm and despondency on social media
- Business encouraged to support employees
- Act responsibly and take hygiene seriously
Coronavirus in Zimbabwe
