WE ARE IN A CRISIS H-METRO

Having 774 new cases of Covid-19 recorded in a day, for a small country like Zimbabwe, spells danger.

Even worse worse when more than 550 of the cases are from a congested city like Harare.

We are in a crisis.

We need to all know that it is necessary for us to be in total lockdown, at least for these next 30 days.

Being on lockdown means those with Covid-19, whether they have symptoms or not, whether they have been tested or not, will get a chance to recover without passing the virus to other people.

Full lockdown means those without the virus will have less chances of being in contact with infected people and the number of new cases can tumble.

Full lockdown means we do not continue to lose our family members, relatives and friends to this coronavirus.

This lockdown is there for our own good.

The Covid -19 situation is more dangerous in Zimbabwe now than ever before.

Covid-19 is on a free flow in the country now with local cases nearing a thousand per day.

Major cities like Harare and Bulawayo in particular and the rest of the country in general, are getting even more dangerous.

Harare, for example, has witnessed a huge upsurge in Covid-19 positive cases as most people are not observing recommended measures put in place by the government and World Health Organisation.

The number of deaths and new cases in the capital is worrying.

Now more than ever, people should stay home always. One should travel only when it is really neces-sary otherwise people should be very cautious now that there are many cases being recorded.

We must practice social distancing, sanitise and wear masks always.

On the ground people are taking zero precaution.

Drinking spots had sprouted in many shopping areas with imbibers publicly drinking, defying social dis-tancing and this could not be allowed to continue.

The World Health Organization (WHO) warned that Africa might be headed for a much larger outbreak and if we continue on this trend, that prediction will come true.

“In terms of confirmed cases, Africa currently accounts for only a small proportion of the global total, but the acceleration in rates of infection in some countries is of increasing concern,” said a WHO official a few months ago. We took him for granted but today, reality has sunk.

Our neighbours South Africa were the first to suffer and now it’s us.

However, we can turn around.

South Africa has the highest recorded number of cases and reported deaths, and accounts for more than half of all the cases in Africa and our proximity to them and the amount of trade and activity between our two countries put us in grave danger.

So as we go into this lockdown, painful as it may be to our freedom and to our productivity and to our business, it is important to remember that all these things we are sacrificing, are not more valuable than life.

It is our lives that we must prioritize, it is our lives that we must treasure. At this point, with the vicious virus that is haunting us, nothing else matters. this