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THE sudden spike in the number of Covid-19 cases in the country this week should be a cause for concern for everyone. Not only does it show that the disease is real but that where there is mobility it also travels fast and far. The country recorded 76 new cases within a space of four days, with most of the cases coming from quarantine centres.
We believe the quarantine centres are serving the purpose for which they were set up in the first place, to screen returning residents and ensure that we nip the spread of the infection in the bud. What we would like to note, however, is that we need as citizens to assist the authorities in managing the fl ow of traffic in and out of the country.
We hear that countries in the region face a similar challenge of porous borders where people cross boundaries without being documented, as they have done over the years. This is a big problem that has been suppressed over the years but not altogether eliminated. We need to raise awareness among our communities on the importance of blowing the whistle on unsanctioned cross border movements. It should be made clear that this is not selling out but an attempt to protect the whole nation against the deadly
Covid-19. The fear has always been that there was a greater risk in urban areas due to the crowding, where transmission of the disease could be faster. However, reports from remote border areas suggest that there is a lot of leakage, where scores of Zimbabweans that were working in neighbouring countries, some that had visited for one reason or another, have sneaked back into the country. It will take more work by health authorities in educating communities on the importance of movement control across borders as a strategy to prevent the spread of Covid-19.
We should not be seen, however, to be treating our fellow brothers and sisters as outcasts, but do the process of screening with love and sharing of information. We love the returning residents and it is our wish that all those in quarantine test negative and join their families.
Those that test positive, however, should receive the necessary support without being made to feel guilty for fending for their families in other lands. While we strive to tighten our borders across the whole Sadc region, we also need to raise awareness especially in border areas on the importance of screening so that the illegal entries do not cause another spike in infections.
Online Reporter