Categories: Stories

COVID is back in Zimbabwe. It does not want elections

COVID is back in Zimbabwe and it does not want elections, legislator Ruth Labode, who is a medical doctor, told Parliament yesterday.

She said that COVID was on the increase, so the Minister of Health must declare that people start wearing masks.

“If you do not trigger an alarm now, you will go to the elections under lockdown,” she said.

Zimbabwe removed the mandatory wearing of masks last month but said those in places at high risk of spreading Covid-19 should continue to wear them.

National Covid-19 taskforce coordinator Agnes Mahomva said: “Cabinet specifically dropped mandatory wearing of face masks but specifically recommended that we must still wear face masks if we are in a place that is at high risk of spreading Covid-19.  We must remain vigilant. Cabinet removed the mandatory aspect but strongly recommended that if you are at high risk, if you are in a crowded space, if you are in a poorly ventilated places, it recommends that you wear your masks in line with the new normal.”

Full contribution:

HON. DR. LABODE: On a point of order. I am really sorry I have to say this. I was at Mpilo Hospital yesterday and I noticed in Bulawayo a lot of people were wearing masks and I asked. They said doctor can you go to Mpilo. I went to Mpilo and a doctor took me to an isolation centre which was supposed to be for cardiac diseases and it has been converted to isolate children with COVID. When a child who is 3 years has COVID, how many people have been infected who were looking after that child. He then said to me even pregnant mothers, because COVID is on the increase. If you do not trigger an alarm now, you will go to elections under lockdown.

The Minister must declare now that start wearing masks because COVID is back. For sure COVID is back and it does not want elections.

 

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This post was last modified on June 14, 2023 10:09 am

Charles Rukuni

The Insider is a political and business bulletin about Zimbabwe, edited by Charles Rukuni. Founded in 1990, it was a printed 12-page subscription only newsletter until 2003 when Zimbabwe's hyper-inflation made it impossible to continue printing.

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