Harare CBD roars back to life

THERE was increased human activity in the Harare city centre yesterday as the central business district (CBD) awoke from a 36-day slumber induced by the coronavirus lockdown.

President Emmerson Mnangagwa last Friday eased the lockdown regulations, allowing industry and commerce to reopen, provided companies ensure mandatory rapid diagnostic testing, wearing of masks by employees, social distancing and sanitisation of workplaces.

Statutory Instrument 99 of 2020 stipulates that health inspection teams shall randomly check for compliance, with firms in violation stopped from operating.

The country has been under lockdown since March 30 to contain the coronavirus scourge, which has resulted in hundreds of thousands of fatalities worldwide.

Several companies that opened for business included retail outlets, banks and some hardware shops.

There were few informal grocery shops that were open. However, gyms, bottlestores, bars, beerhalls and other leisure and recreational facilities remained closed.

Most people came into the CBD wearing masks, which is now mandatory in terms of the new public health regulations gazetted on Saturday. Most of the masks were home-made.

Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries president Henry Ruzvidzo said the move by government to ease the lockdown helped to improve the economy which was suffocating.

“As you know, the manufacturing sector has been allowed to operate. This will definitely help in the revival of the retail and the manufacturing sector. This will definitely help in the reduction of the inefficiencies the country has been facing because the supply chains were not complete for the past weeks of the lockdown. We welcome this move and it is for the good of the sector and the country as a whole,” he said.

“The economy had been weakened and what we should be worried about now is how quickly the sector and the economy are going to recover from the effects of this lockdown. If things go well, I think this move will revive the economy a bit and what we are now waiting for is for the rest of the commerce sector to reopen.”

Zimbabwe has recorded 34 confirmed COVID-19 cases, four deaths and five recoveries.