Staff Reporter

Government has with immediate effect lifted the COVID-19 induced curfew which was running between 12 midnight and 05:30a.m, whilst the hospitality industry has been allowed to operate from 08:00 hours to 03:00 hours.

In a Post Cabinet brief yesterday, the Acting Minister of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services, Jenfan Musvere added that people should continue to adhere to prescribed COVID 19 health regulations.

 “Accordingly Cabinet has resolved to relax some COVID-19 measures and regulations as follows; that the business hours for the hospitality industry be extended to now cover the period 0800 hours to 0300 hours the following day; that while the enforcement of the COVID-19 regulations must continue, the curfew which is currently running between 12 midnight to 0530 hours has been lifted and that implementation of all COVID-19 public health and all social measures must continue to be strengthened,” said Minister Musvere.

Minister Musvere further informed that as of Monday this week, the country has continued to maintain a 97 percent COVID-19 recovery rate after having recorded 254 919 positive cases and 247 649 recoveries. The Minister added that the country currently has 1 734 COVID-19 active cases.

According to the Minister Musvere, the country witnessed a decrease of new active cases from 758 new COVID-19 cases last week to 676 new COVID-19 cases this week, making a 11% decline in new cases.

He added that, daily infections also reduced from an average of 108 new cases to 97 new cases, with only 34 patients being admitted this week compared to 48 patients last week from COVID-19 related disease.

On the issue of COVID 19 vaccinations, the Minister said that as of 20 June 2022, 6 264 867 people got their first doses; 4 602 713 and  856 440 got their second and third doses respectively; while the new vaccination statistics showed that about 55.7 percent of the targeted population has been vaccinated against COVID 19.

Meanwhile, citizens who were yet to be vaccinated were urged to do so as a way of protecting themselves and their loved ones from the diseases.