Socio-economic impact of Covid-19
HARDLY a year has passed since Covid19 was declared a global pandemic, yet in that short space of time it has extensively altered the global political and socio-economic landscape.
The pandemic has forced nations to implement various measures aimed at curtailing its effects.
Communities have been affected with churches, beerhalls and schools being closed.
Freedom of movement is now restricted as people can no longer go out as they wish within and between cities. In the worst cases, some countries have closed their borders.
Recently, the Ministry of Health and Child Care imposed restrictions on the movement of bodies for burial in the country.
Such measures by Government indicate that it is indeed no longer business as usual. Desperate measures for desperate times. While vaccines for the virus have been developed, primarily in the United States, they are yet to be effectively rolled out and the average person can only wait in hope and live with a pandemic that is threatening every aspect of human existence.
As the world is waiting in hope and positive anticipation, a new variant of Covid-19 seems to have hit the world again. Experts say that the variant is more dangerous than the earlier one and people should be more careful.
In Zimbabwe, the Covid-19 pandemic has worsened and recent statistics confirm this claim. As of Wednesday, the cumulative number of cases was 24 256.
A total of 589 deaths have been recorded to date. More worrying is the recovery rate which has plummeted to just above 60 percent.
These statistics reveal a sharp rise in cases and mortality, which is a cause for concern.
On January 2 this year, the Vice President and Minister of Health and Child Care Dr Constantino Chiwenga announced a 30-day lockdown for the country to address the pandemic.
Predictably, there has been debate as to the effectiveness and relevance of this move with some arguing that complacency still remains a challenge as people break down lockdown regulations.
Others lament the social and economic effects of the lockdown on the livelihoods of the majority of people.
The Herald caught up with some individuals to hear their views on the latest lockdown.
Nyasha Moyo, a parent from Highfield said: “Covid-19 has greatly affected the world over in all the aspects of life. Here in Zimbabwe it has mainly affected our education system.
“We do not know what will the school children become. The country’s school calendar is in disarray again this year. Last year, children only went to school for four months. This has started again this year.”
According to Moyo, this was the worst scenario, especially for the examination classes that did not have enough time to be taught, but only return to school to write final examinations.
He added that people thought that the lost learning time of the previous year would be recovered this year, but they were wrong.
“Online lessons are necessary at this point in time as nobody knows when schools will be opened. On the other hand, it is a huge disadvantage to children, especially those with parents who cannot afford to buy data. The situation is harder for those in rural areas as they do not have the mobile phones,” said Moyo.
Moyo highlighted that as a parent they are
afraid of how some children are behaving during the lockdown.
“The closure of schools is necessary as children will not be exposed to the Covid -19 pandemic. However, as a result of being unoccupied some of the children will end up abusing drugs and having unwanted pregnancies. At least when they are at schools, they are controllable and they do not have free time to be mischievous.
“We just hope God hears our prayers this year, so that the cases do not continue to sky rocket like what they are currently doing as each day passes by. If we unite, we will be able to fight the pandemic. People need to be observant of the regulations,” he said.
Mercy Mutandwa, a vendor from Norton, said: “The lockdown is necessary, but at the same time it’s a pain to us as it is costing our livelihoods greatly as it has affected our businesses.
“We are not able to put enough food on the table as a result of this lockdown. Vending is my source of livelihood and I sell different wares in the central business district to be able to feed my children,” said Mutandwa.
She added that life for her is getting tougher each and every day as they do not know when the lockdown will end.
“We were happy in late October last year when the restrictions were a bit loose and were able to go and sell our wares, but this time it is different as many people are working from home as a result of the increase in the cases.
“Everyone is living in fear of his or her own health as the coronavirus is deadly and is killing many people than before.”
Mutandwa highlighted that complacency and ignorance were some of the reasons behind the increase in the number of cases. Some people no longer wear face masks, do not sanitise or practice social distance.
“Covid-19 is real and there. People are dying every day. Let us be observant of the regulations. We cannot die as a result of ignorance or complacency.
“I just hope that those vaccines reach here earlier before we perish and that they would be affordable to everyone and that by the end of the 30 days of the lockdown, things will be back to normal,” she said.
On Wednesday, Acting Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister Jenfan Muswere, said Zimbabwe is developing a draft Covid-19 vaccination framework for the roll out of the vaccine.
Zimbabwe announced that it could receive its first batch of the Covid-19 vaccine next month, with the Government now finalising its national deployment plan and the training of health care workers.