COMMENT: Bulawayo no longer fears Covid-19

Bulawayo continues to dominate the Covid-19 charts, with the majority of new infections in the country being recorded in the city.

According to statistics released by the Ministry of Health and Child Care on Wednesday, one death and 95 new Covid-19 positive cases were recorded in the country in 24 hours.

While the Covid-19 related death was recorded in Harare, all the new infections were local with Bulawayo recording the highest number at 51 followed by Harare with 13, Masvingo and Mashonaland East with eight, Midlands — six, Mashonaland Central — five and Matabeleland North — four.

A total of 1 541 PCR tests were done. New recoveries recorded were 85 and active cases went up to 1 556.

“As of 9 December, Zimbabwe has now recorded 11 007 cases, 9 147 recoveries and 304 deaths,” said the Ministry of Health and Child Care.

To shed light on the meaning of the continued rise in Covid-19 cases in Bulawayo, acting Mpilo Central Hospital CEO Professor Solwayo Ngwenya tweeted: “Bulawayo has a positivity rate of 17.3 percent, nationally its 3.7 percent, in SA is at 18 percent. Anything above 10 percent is not good enough. So, we in Bulawayo we must PANIC; we are sitting on a huge time bomb. Don’t be fooled by anyone, listen to advise and take urgent action to prevent a catastrophe.”

Unfortunately for Prof Ngwenya, it’s too late; the catastrophe struck a long time ago.

The real crisis in Bulawayo is not the figures or the pandemic, but attitude. The attitude of the residents, as well as the attitude of law enforcement agents.

As we have reported many times before, people are mixing and mingling without any form of social distancing and wearing of face masks, well into the wee hours of the next morning.

And what are the police doing about it?

The people of Bulawayo are no longer afraid of Covid-19. They will not panic even when statistics hit them in the face with an empty oxygen tank.

It is these reckless parents that are exposing their children to Covid-19.

As we reported yesterday, Covid-19 positive pupils and those suspected to be infected in Bulawayo are writing 2020 public examinations in isolation in line with standard operating procedures which have been effective in curbing the spread of the global pandemic in schools.

The isolation rooms were created to afford the pupils a chance to write their exams without the fear of exposing their invigilators and fellow pupils to infection.

Statistics show that since the phased opening of schools, about 332 pupils have contracted Covid-19 countrywide and they are stable.

With the wrong attitude, Covid-19 cannot be defeated. The law must be upheld at all costs. For now, that is the only way rising infections can be reduced in Bulawayo — through the long arm of the law.

If need be, for now, the decision to open nightspots must be reversed until the second wave of Covid-19 has come to pass.

If not, it is schools, churches and the workplace that will suffer.