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Gibson Mhaka
A “DIGITAL Christmas” and a tough time going into the New Year is arguably looming as cases of the coronavirus pandemic continue to surge across the country.
This year’s Christmas, just like other public holidays such as Heroes’ Day and Defence Forces’ Day, could be “very different” due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
This is because experts are on record warning that large gatherings, get-togethers and parties are potential “super spreaders” of Covid-19 amid appeals for people to exercise extreme caution.
The warning comes as the Government continues to relax the Covid-19 lockdown, which is apparently causing more and more people to also become relaxed or complacent.
As of 3 November 2020, Zimbabwe had 8 410 confirmed cases, 7 942 recoveries and 246 deaths. Harare has the highest number of deaths at 121 followed by Bulawayo at 61 as of Wednesday.
Worth noting from the statistics is the fact last month on the day in question Harare was on 121 and the figure has not changed while Bulawayo was at 44 deaths but 30 days later 17 more deaths were recorded meaning almost a death every two days. The comparison ominously shows that Bulawayo is now Zimbabwe’s Covid-19 epicentre or hotspot.
There is no doubt with the resurgence in cases after the easing of lockdown people should brace for a bleak Christmas. The rise in cases is also a stern warning that it’s not yet time to seek return to the old normal way of life.
A snap survey by B-Metro around the city revealed that there were two camps: the rule followers, observant of social distancing and hopeful of quashing the pandemic; and the risk takers, who have been storming the city’s bars, and nightclubs in spite of the coronavirus and public health efforts to curtail its spread.
Most bars and nightclubs in the city are apparently running the risk of being Covid-19 hotspots as they are operating illegally packed with patrons who drink until late into the night.
A concerned resident, Mike Ndlovu from Mzilikazi suburb, said the way people were ignoring safety measures by packing bars and nightclubs was leading to a Covid-19 spike in the city.
“People have been told a lot about how to help contain Covid-19, but too many of them are ignoring the guidelines.
The city in particular and the country in general is going in the wrong direction as people continue packing into shebeens, bars and nightclubs drinking until late into the night,” he said.
He stressed a strong support for wearing masks and the need for a nationwide approach to fighting the coronavirus.
Portia Mtisi from Ilanda suburb also voiced her dissatisfaction with the present situation, expressing fear for the coming festive season if things did not change.
New Covid-19 cases have been up daily and they can spike out of control if people don’t take measures as strictly as they did in the first lockdowns between March and May.
While there are new cases emerging, there is still a risk of transmission. This, however, calls for a strong need to remember that now is not the time to relax and take risks.
Giving a scientific perspective on the issue of relaxing the measures, co-ordinator of the Covid-19 National Taskforce Dr Agnes Mahomva said we have not yet defeated the pandemic when we still have new infections.
“As long as we have new cases that are still being recorded, it’s clear that we’re not yet out of the woods. We need to remind ourselves that in Europe when the numbers started coming down, they relaxed, and now they are going up so we don’t want to have that,” said Dr Mahomva.
Acting Mpilo Central Hospital chief executive officer Professor Solwayo Ngwenya, who has been consistent in urging people to remain vigilant and follow health recommendations to help contain the spread of the virus said that Bulawayo could be in the eye of the storm as the festive season approaches.
“Bulawayo is having a spike and this is not surprising because it is a connection to South Africa and South Africa is a hotbed of the virus as we speak,” he said.
He further warned: “The first lockdown was successful as we managed to keep the reproductive rate to below one but with the relaxation and attitudes prevalent in the community now, a Covid-19 storm is looming.
“My prediction as a medical expert is that if we are not careful, we will bury many people before the Christmas holiday because it’s clear that the virus has spread rapidly in the community”.
He attributed the recent surge to complacency among the populace, as people disregarded lockdown regulations.
Online Reporter