Minister recovers from Covid-19

Munyaradzi Musiiwa, Sunday News Reporter
THE Minister of State for Midlands Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Senator Larry Mavima, has recovered from Covid-19 after he tested negative to the virus last week following weeks in isolation after having contracted the disease.

Sen Mavima has been in isolation since the beginning of November after he tested positive to Covid-19 but underwent a second testing after self-isolating at home and the results came out negative. In an interview last week, Sen Mavima who is also the Midlands Provincial Covid-19 taskforce chairperson said he had fully recovered from the pandemic and would soon resume his duties.

“I have fully recovered from the virus and this morning (Friday) I received my results and I am now negative. I would like to thank the Government support, the doctors who worked hard attending to me and the prayers I got from the loving Zimbabweans during the time I was diagonised until I recovered,” he said.

Sen Mavima said the Covid-19 experience had brought with it some lessons for him and other patients who have and might contract the disease. The Minister said he will be the ambassador of the pandemic to help fight stigmatisation and also curbing the possible spread of the pandemic.

“I thank the Almighty that I am now up and about but now that I have survived the virus, I have become the Midlands ambassador and will continue to educate our community on the need to stop the spread of this disease. The disease is real, we still have the disease in our midst so we need to be very careful and responsible. We need to follow recommended guidelines putting on our masks properly for Covid-19 has no boundaries, it can attack anyone no matter the position or post in life,” he said.

Sen Mavima said the country needs not to return to a full-scale lockdown and urged Zimbabweans not to take the Covid-19 virus lightly.
“There has been visible laxity in terms of following recommended healthy procedures and its worrisome. We need to properly put on our masks, maintain social distancing and always sanitise because no one needs to revert back to the initial lockdown situation. As

Zimbabweans we need to be responsible always,” he said.

The country has of late recorded a spike in new Covid-19 infections, triggering fears that the new wave could force Government to reintroduce lockdown measures to combat the virus. Some European countries have reintroduced lockdowns as cases of new Covid-19 infections continue to surge.