Chronicle Editor
Getrude Ndlovu
Coronavirus disease (Covid-19) is an infectious disease caused by a newly discovered coronavirus.
On January 30, 2020, the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared Covid-19 as a pandemic. The WHO defines a pandemic as the worldwide spread of a new disease. As at April 30, 2020, over three million people had tested positive for coronavirus while more than 200 000 had died worldwide.
Zimbabwe has not been spared by this pandemic with 34 positive cases and five deaths as at May 1, 2020. It is important for people to prevent transmission through getting information about the disease, washing hands with soap and water, using an alcohol-based hand rub frequently and not touching one’s face.
The Government of Zimbabwe has responded to the threat of Covid-19 through a number of measures which include declaring the pandemic a state of National Disaster. A raft of measures has been gazetted to control the spread of the pandemic through Statutory Instrument 83 of 2020, Public Health (Covid-19 prevention, containment and treatment) (National Lockdown) Order. The measures include a national lockdown, prohibition or limit to commercial and manufacturing activities. The measures apply to all citizens, including persons with disabilities.
Like everyone else in the community, persons with disabilities are affected by this pandemic. If anything, it is a well-known fact that persons with disabilities were already facing barriers in access to health services well before Covid-19. This is despite the fact that they are a group that has greater health needs than those that do not have disabilities.
The Government is applauded for putting in place measures to prevent, contain and treat Covid-19. These measures protect all citizens including persons with disabilities and are in line with its obligations under Article 25 of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities which obligates government to provide persons with disabilities with the same range, quality and standard of health services as others.
Section 23 of the Constitution of Zimbabwe obligates the State to “take all preventive measures within the limits of the resources available to it, including education and public awareness programmes, against the spread of disease”.
It is my opinion that these measures, much as they are necessary and welcome, have largely not been disability inclusive. For example, no concrete plans have been made to accommodate the specific needs of persons with disability in the messaging on Covid-19. Previously, the national broadcaster has been criticised for its limited accessibility. The national broadcaster has failed to make provisions for signing of two important live announcements on Covid-19 by the President.
The Statutory Instrument 83 of 2020 itself and other official information shared by the Government on Covid-19 through the Ministry of Health and Child Care website are not available in a format that is accessible for those who have visual or hearing impairment. It is for this reason that three organisations that represent people who are deaf and visually impaired went to court and won a case against the national broadcaster challenging this exclusion. Failure to provide the information on Covid-19 in formats that are accessible to persons with disabilities is a risk to them and to the wider public. It is important to highlight that even the private media and other Covid-19 information providers such as NGOs have not been inclusive in their messaging. It remains to be seen if there will be improvement going forward.
Statutory Instrument 83 of 2020 on 4(1) stipulates that individuals are confined to their homes and may not leave therefrom except temporarily for stated purposes which include buying necessities like food, medicine, obtain medical assistance for the self or another or provide care. Failure to comply may result in a fine or imprisonment (elements of this provision have been relaxed after the Government downgraded the lockdown to level two with effect from Monday). It is a well-known fact that, in Zimbabwe, a significant number of persons with disabilities depend on begging and vending in the city streets hence the
Government needed to put additional measures to address their protection during the lockdown.
Recognising the contribution of social protection to efforts to prevent the spread of Covid-19 the Government directed that social protection programs by Government or NGOs should continue even under the lockdown. However, the available social protection resources were already not enough and therefore excluding many deserving cases. Consequently, in the absence of additional social protection, many of the vulnerable (including persons with disabilities) who are excluded from current programs spend time out of their homes in long winding queues for basic food items where social distancing is not enforced thereby exposing them and others to infection with Covid-19.
The Government needs to strengthen the inclusiveness of current measures through carrying out a rapid appraisal of the context specific barriers they face under novel Covid-19. The High Court ruling on accessible messaging needs to be immediately enforced and more persons with disabilities need to be identified and registered for social protection programmes. Provisions need to be put in place to provide for medical needs, in particular, for those with significant disabilities who rely on caregivers for support.
Getrude Ndlovu is a disability rights student with special interest in inclusive education. She can be contacted on [email protected]
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