by Harare Post Reporter

President Emmerson Mnangagwa yesterday imposed a dawn to dusk curfew amid a myriad of other measures, to try and curb the spread of the deadly COVID-19 disease, which has since affected 1 820 people and claimed 26 lives in the country.

Addressing the nation yesterday, President Mnangagwa said the rapid spread of the COVID-19 disease meant that the Government could no longer be complacent and urgent measures should be introduced to curb the spread of the disease.

A 12-hour night curfew, shortening of working hours and the continued banning of inter-city transport were some of the measures that come into effect today.

“No responsible Government places its citizens in harm’s way, hence my Government will do all it can to preserve and protect the right to life. Accordingly, Government has decided on the following measures which take full effect from tomorrow (today) until further review and notice.

“As of tomorrow (today), Wednesday 22 July 2020, all our security services must enforce a dusk-to-dawn curfew set to come into force daily between 1800 hours and 0600 hours. Only essential services are exempt from this curfew,” said the President.

The President further said all non-working sections of the society were compelled to stay at home except for purposes of securing food, water and health services. Travelling has only been allowed when it has become essential and necessary.

However, those travelling must always be wearing a mask, observing high standards of hygiene and practising social distancing.

Business premises were directed to operate between 8am and 3pm and all business operations and premises were required to observe the World Health Organization (WHO) anti-COVID-19 standards at their workplaces.

The President further informed that only registered SMEs that have been allocated workplaces would be allowed to operate while following WHO standards and suppliers to markets should be facilitated to reach the markets, even with the aid of the security forces.

Inter-city or town public transport and inessential transport to all rural areas remain banned and all approved buses and vehicles for public transport are to ensure and enforce public health standards, including the screening of passengers before boarding, and the disinfection of all public vehicles after each round trip.

President Mnangagwa further said public gatherings for social, religious or political purposes as well as funeral gatherings remained banned in line with public health requirements.

According to President Mnangagwa, escaping from quarantine centers resulting in the exposure of the virus to innocent lives will be considered a criminal act and invite very robust response from the law and public health-enforcement arms.

Anyone who knowingly exposes, aids, abets, or infects innocent persons, whether by breaching conditions of isolation or by encouraging actions, which undermine public health measures which Government has announced or undertaken, will be liable, and severely punished accordingly, the President said.

He informed the nation that the new lockdown measures were necessary to preserve lives and he urged every citizen to unreservedly comply with the measures.

COVID-19 has ravaged lives across the globe and over 600 000 people, including 15 000 in Africa alone, have since lost their lives to the virus.

The neighboring South Africa, the most affected country in Africa, has also tightened lockdown rules and imposed a night curfew after a surge in the number of COVID-19 cases.

A health expert who spoke to this publication on condition of anonymity said the tightening and imposition of a night curfew was long overdue as people were now treating the deadly pandemic as something minor.

“The tightening of lockdown and the imposition of a night curfew are a welcome development. People were now travelling at night and some were throwing parties ignoring the hygiene standards needed to curb the disease. Such reckless behavior contributed to the rise of local transmissions of the disease,” said the expert.

Zimbabwe had recorded 600 new cases in just last week, with deaths rising from 18 to 26.