Chronicle Editor
Sharon Chimenya, Masvingo Correspondent
COVID-19 pandemic continues to soar in Masvingo province with 79 inmates at Mutimurefu Prison having tested positive for the virus.
Masvingo Covid-19 provincial taskforce spokesperson Mr Rogers Irimayi said to date 79 inmates had tested positive and had been put in isolation as a way to curb the spread of the virus.
“I can confirm that 79 inmates have tested positive for the virus at Mutimurefu. The same thing that we do to people outside is the same way they are treated when they are in prison. So those who test positive in the prisons are isolated. We have prison health officials who are mandated to deal with that and they are handling the situation quite well and in collaboration with the Provincial Medical Director (PMD.”
The province as of January 28 had recorded 2 051 cumulative positive cases, 1 709 recoveries and 61 deaths.
The rural areas have not been spared from the spike in positive cases as people who are coming back into the country through illegal entry points are settling at their rural homes.
Mr Irimayi said there was a general reluctance and lack of seriousness among people who were moving around without wearing face masks, disregarding social distancing and practising poor hygiene.
“General hygiene is being ignored, so the virus spreads rampantly especially in the rural areas. We have people coming in through the illegal entry points from outside the country and going straight to their rural areas. If they are infected, they are putting everyone else at risk that’s the major issue we are having,” he said.
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