Don’t wait until it gets worse for our children

1

CORINTHIANS 5 verse 6 says “Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little yeast ferments the whole batch of dough?

Indeed, the boasting by the government claiming to be on top of the situation in curbing the spread of COVID-19 in schools is not good and borders on misguided arrogance.

It is a fake bravery amid the situation getting out of hand. Defence minister Oppah Muchinguri, the chairperson of the COVID-19 inter-ministerial taskforce, on Tuesday presenting Cabinet’s collective wisdom, or lack thereof, said that there was no need to close schools now.

She said that the number of those infected by the deadly COVID-19 stood at only 332.

Come on, the disease is infectious and once an individual gets it, especially at a school, it is common knowledge that many will be infected and the most logical thing to do is to close the facility.

By the way, it is the same Muchinguri, typical of the authorities’ ignorance on the matter, who earlier in the year said COVID-19 was God’s punishment on the West for sanctioning Zimbabwe.

COVID-19 is real.

It is sad that government is just risking the lives of innocent children and teachers by insisting that schools should remain open.

There is no capacity by the government to provide essentials in schools and the spike in numbers confirms that.

Despite the denial by the government, all is not well in schools and why Cabinet is choosing not to listen to Members of Parliament who advised them to close down schools immediately betrays logic.

The Parliamentary portfolio committee on Primary and Secondary Education chaired by Priscilla Misihairabwi-Mushonga made it clear that opening schools was not ideal and cited several reasons that were canned by the government.

It will get worse and we can only wonder whether the government wants the situation to get worse to realise the folly of their action.

Even teachers have expressed concern on the matter of reopening schools but they are being forced to attend classes even without proper personal protective equipment.

It is absurd to say the least and the argument that numbers are still less is as senseless an argument as it is hazardous.

The consequences of such ignorance by the government are dangerous and the regime has not only become a danger to itself but to the entire nation.

Maybe they don’t care anymore and that is why they party in numbers and share pictures of their recklessness to the world.