The pain of adjustments

President Emmerson Mnangagwa this week announced new restrictions as Covid-19 new cases and deaths march northwards. 

President Emmerson Mnangagwa

The measures will see industry and commerce with a shorter working period—from 8am to 3:30pm with a curfew running from 630pm to 6am.

Companies have been asked to reduce their employees at the workplace at any given time by 40%.

Intercity travel has been banned while an aggressive vaccination plan will be rolled out at cotton and grain depots, auction floors and people’s markets such as Renkini and Mbare.

It is not the first time that the government has put in place restrictions to contain the spread of the respiratory disease.

It came up with far harsher measures in March last year when Zimbabwe recorded the first positive case of Covid-19. The measures introduced in January this year were also tough as it closed out the informal businesses.

That tough measures were on the way was inevitable when cases began to rise with the authorities accusing citizens of disregarding preventive measures.  It also came after the virus has been spreading out of the localised lockdown areas.

Then last week the Confederation of Zimbabwe Retailers president Denford Mutashu touched off a storm when he issued a statement advocating a national lockdown due to a spike in new cases and deaths and complacency by citizens to observe Covid-19 preventive measures. It’s a gift the government grabbed with both hands.

Tough measures have worked before early this year and last year. While the working hours have been reduced for industry and business, the bigger picture is the containment of the virus. The informal sector has been spared this time around. For Zimbabwe to defeat the virus it requires collective effort. 

It is the business of business to ensure that its employees are practising Covid-19 preventive measures at the workplace and encourage them to take vaccination.

Until the recent vaccine doses shortages, Zimbabwe was one of the few countries that had the doses but without takers.  Some employees from the essential services sector have been shunning vaccination yet they are at high risk of contracting the virus.

On Tuesday, the Cabinet noted that 20% of the frontline workers have not presented themselves for vaccination. It set a July 14 deadline for them to be vaccinated, given the risk this poses not only to other workers but also to patients. After the deadline, the civil servants who have not been vaccinated will not receive Covid-19 insurance payouts.

Those vaccinated staff members who test positive will, however, still be eligible for the Covid-19 insurance pay out, Information minister Monica Mutsvangwa told journalists at a post Cabinet briefing.

Does the government have to use a stick to encourage vaccination? Does it have to be tough to force citizens to adhere to Covid-19 preventive measures? Certainly not. Citizens, business and the government have a role to play to defeat Covid-19.  The grim reaper has been ruthless.

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