COMMENT: Staying healthy must be a priority for everyone

President Mnangagwa on Sunday made a prudent decision, which we anticipated, when he extended the national lockdown by two weeks to help combat Covid-19.

We knew that extension was coming because cases are rising in the country, though slowly. At the same time, the Government is just beginning to expand testing services, which will give a reasonable indication of the extent of the infection across the country. Without expanded testing services and more people being tested, it is impossible for authorities to speak with certainty on the incidence of the disease nationwide. Our neighbours — among them Zambia and South Africa – extended their respective lockdowns a few days ago with other Sadc governments which imposed theirs later than us expected to follow suit.

Furthermore, WHO has told governments to only consider easing lockdowns after meeting certain conditions which our country has not met yet. All these factors taken together meant that the Government was bound to take the responsible decision which it took on Sunday.

“As I have already indicated,” he said, “worldwide cases of infections continue to gallop, with the World Health Organisation counselling against relaxing lockdowns adopted by almost all countries of the world.

“Guided by these realities, and to allow ourselves greater leeway to prepare for worse times which are likely ahead, Government has decided to extend with immediate effect the National Lockdown by 14 days. That means the National Lockdown which would have expired at midnight stands extended by another two weeks up to 3rd May, 2020. Government has reviewed the situation obtaining in the country, around us in the region and worldwide.”

The economy isn’t performing too well because of the Western sanctions. Efforts are being made to get it back to work. The Covid-19 pandemic will, as it will do worldwide, surely worsen the challenges facing the economy. Therefore, the decision to extend curbs on economic activity as well as movement of people by an additional two weeks was a difficult one to make, the President acknowledged.

To ensure that the limits are maintained while key industries reopen, he added mining and manufacturing to agriculture, food manufacturing and retailing and fuel distribution as vital economic sectors that can continue running, with stricter social distancing and hygienic standards to be enforced. The rest of the economy had to remain under lockdown.

We have no doubt that this was a balanced decision by the Government. It recognises the immense public health crisis that the country and everyone else is grappling with globally. It recognises the existential danger of easing the lockdown measures too early. On the other hand, the decision recognises the danger that a longer period of zero activity could mean for important industries — mining and manufacturing. Gold, platinum, chrome, diamond and other valuable minerals must be extracted, processed and sold to earn the country foreign currency while preserving those jobs that can be preserved. Manufacturers in the small and medium enterprise (SME) sector — now a big contributor to job creation and economic activity in the country — need to start working too.

We think that our national circumstances mandated the President to take the nuanced decision he took at the weekend, maintaining the lockdown for a further two weeks while reopening key industries.

We look forward to law enforcement agencies and health staff rising to the challenge of enforcing compliance to lockdown measures. Those among us who are allowed to go out to work must do so while maintaining social distancing, washing their hands with soap and water or using hand sanitiser.

On this note, we ask employers to make the workplace environment really healthy. It is their responsibility to make hand sanitisers, soap and clean running water available. Face masks and disposable gloves are essential too, so must be available. It is their responsibility to make sure that the manning levels at their factories or mines permit social distancing. There must be no compromise on these issues for the good health of employees is the good health of the company they work for. Also, it is the employers through their representative bodies, the Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries in the case of manufacturers, who, we understand, made representations to the Government to grant them a reprieve.

SMEs are strongly urged to also put in place systems that uphold the health of their employees. We are saying this because we know that corners are sometimes cut while standards are often ignored in this industry. We say to them that Covid-19 is not the sort of challenge that they can face half-heartedly.

Sanitisers must be in place, the same for soap and running water. Social distancing is a must. Those are the rules which apply for all.

For everyone else who must remain at home and for businesses that don’t fall under the essential service category, the message is they must indeed remain at home and in the case of companies, they must remain shut. The people are bound to wash their hands with soap as often and as thoroughly as they should and practise social distancing if they go out to buy food and other essentials.

Yes, five weeks under lockdown can be tough financially, socially and psychologically, but our health is supreme.