MP embarks on Covid-19 campaign

Ngqwele Dube, Sunday News Correspondent
VUNGU Member of Parliament, Cde Omega Sibanda will embark on a constituency Covid-19 awareness campaign as part of the mandate handed to them by the Government as part of efforts to fight the third wave that has seen infections soaring.

In announcing the recent lockdown measures, President Mnangagwa mandated Members of Parliament to go to their constituencies and hold awareness campaigns to ensure people take heed of efforts being made by Government to reduce the spread of Covid-19.

Cde Sibanda, who represent Zanu-PF, said from tomorrow he will be embarking on a constituency wide campaign that will see him going around informing constituents of the measures being implemented to stop the pandemic and urging them to adhere to health guidelines.

He said they will be using vehicles and a public address system to spread the messages so as to ensure there is little physical contact during the campaign.

“The recent third wave has seen a huge increase in the number of positive cases that we had not seen in the country since the outbreak of the pandemic last year and this forced the Government to introduce a stringent lockdown and as MPs we have been tasked to engage our constituents to ensure they adhere to the new regulations. We all have to work together to ensure the pandemic does not spread. People have to know what measures they can take to limit the spread of Covid-19,” said Cde Sibanda.

He said they will criss-cross the length and breadth of the Midlands constituency to ensure that every area is covered by the campaign. Cde Sibanda said they will also be urging community members to take part in the vaccination programme, which is critical in ensuring the return of normalcy.

Under the recent strict level four lockdown that is in place for a fortnight pending a review, President Mnangagwa banned intercity travel and introduced mandatory quarantine for deportees and those from countries with Alpha and Delta Covid-19 variants.

Businesses now operate from 8am and close at 3.30pm, intercity movement is prohibited, except for production and distribution of food and medicine, a Covid-19 vaccination blitz will be rolled out in the border towns and cities, tobacco auction floors, GMB and Cottco depots, major construction sites and people’s markets and there is a curfew running from 6.30pm-6am hours.