Zimbabwe Police, Soldiers to Enforce COVID-19 Lockdown
"Our security agencies, health officials and educational institutions hence will continue to enforce stricter standard operation procedures to ensure the safety of all our citizens. They will strictly enforce adherence to the regulations within the stipulated times."
MARYLAND — Zimbabwe’s acting president, Kembo Mohadi, says the country’s state security agents will enforce strict COVID-19 regulations introduced Saturday following the death of 29 people in the past week and 1,342 new infections. Mohadi told reporters in Harare on Sunday that there was general laxity and carelessness among local people in following COVID-19 regulations as stipulated by the World Health Organization. He said, “It is worrisome that our people and communities in general do not take the wearing of masks seriously. We therefore urge all leaders to take an active role in enforcing the proper wearing of masks. The virus needs to be fought by us all. “Furthermore, the presentation of unauthentic COVID-19 free certificates by some of our citizens has exposed many unassuming people to the disease. Such dishonesty is criminal and detrimental to the very fabric of society and far removed from ubuntu. This has contributed to the surge in the infections we are talking about. Our security agencies, health officials and educational institutions hence will continue to enforce stricter standard operation procedures to ensure the safety of all our citizens. They will strictly enforce adherence to the regulations within the stipulated times. He said the only way to win against COVID-19 is to prevent the spread of the disease. “We are our own saviours and it’s our behavioural change that will take us out of this danger. It is important that there be a major paradigm shift on behavior. Let those that are infected now be the last as we altogether strive that no one else shall be infected.” He appealed to Zimbabweans to follow WHO-prescrived COVID-19 regulations. “I appeal to you fellow Zimbabweans that while scientists all over the world are working on a vaccine, it remains imperative that you and I follow the regulations as stipulated. The complicated nature of the virus, its mutation remains worrisome for all of us hence the mandatory compliance to the measures we are putting in place as government. We exhort governance structures to provide and enforce measures that will curtail crowding and conjestion are watering points, bus termini, grinding mills, supermarkets and shopping complexes.” He urged religious organizations traditional leaders, business and corporates, civic leadership and individuals to take the fight against the COVID scourge “as our own fight”. The Ministry of Health recorded 407 new COVID-19 cases on Saturday and eight deaths. The number of infections have risen from 8,374 on November 1, 2020, to 14,191 todate, according to Mohadi.