Daily Nation Newspaper

Covid-19 compliance in Zimba drops

- By ANDREW MUKOMA

THERE is low compliance in Zimba district among residents of Kamuchezya community in Mapatizya area.

Many residents were not adhering to the Covid-19 guidelines and preventive measures, Zimba District Commission­er Elizabeth Kalaluka has noted.

Ms Kalaluka said residents in Kamuchezya in Mapatizya were not adhering to the measures.

She said that residents in the area were making unnecessar­y movements, failing to wear face masks and were not observing social distancing.

She said that people of Kamuchezya were crossing anyhow into Zimbabwe to buy essential items without taking precaution­ary measures.

Ms Kalaluka said despite her district recording only one case, the virus could spread at a faster rate especially in rural areas such as Kamuchezya.

“The health team has been going to Mapatizya time and again to check on the situation and sensitisin­g the people including those working at the mine. “However, the challenge we have is people in Kamuchezya in Mapatizya cross into Zimbabwe every now and then to get things from there. So they are not following the restrictio­ns on unnecessar­y movements,” Ms Kalaluka said.

She said despite such challenges in the rural areas, the district administra­tion in conjunctio­n with stakeholde­rs doing everything possible to ensure the district remains COVID-19 free.

“That is the biggest challenge we have because if we recorded any case in that area, the virus will spread very fast and people will die.

“As a district, we are trying because since the outbreak, we have only recorded one case. For the rural areas, let them know that COVID-19 is real and it is killing people so let them follow the guidelines and take precaution measures the Government has put in place,” she said.

“It will be very difficult for us as a district to manage the virus if it spread into our rural communitie­s,” Ms Kalaluka said.

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