No need for knee-jerk reaction to COVID-19

THE plight of Zimbabweans living in South Africa is really worrisome. Just as they were still worrying about exemption permits which are expiring at the end of this month, xenophobic attacks have resurfaced across the Limpopo River.

Their problems boil down to the leadership crisis in Zimbabwe.

President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s regime has earned a reputation for making contradictory economic policies.

The mantra “Zimbabwe is open for business” is deceitful and shallow.

How can the President say Zimbabwe is open for business, yet he pronounces crude quarantine rules even for people who would have tested negative for COVID-19?

The implementation of some of these policies is not based on science, they are just copy and paste.

The quarantine rules and regulations imposed by the government recently leave a lot to be desired. It was simply a knee-jerk reaction to the Omicron variant.

These quarantine rules are likely to do more harm than good to Zimbabwe.

The government said all returning people will have to go for a PCR test and be quarantined at own cost. Surely, where will they get the money to be on two-week isolation?

Why should one be quarantined if they have tested negative for COVID-19.

The government should encourage citizens to follow World Health Organisation protocols such as correct wearing of masks, handwashing, sanitising, maintaining social distancing and avoiding crowded places.

These are scientifically proven guidelines to curb the spread of COVID-19.

Most people are unlikely to visit their families and beloved ones during the festive season.

It is a fact that diaspora remittances increase as people travel to Zimbabwe for the festive season.

Zimbabwe is one of the southern African nations which has been red-listed because of the Omicron variant meaning that the tourism industry has been dealt a very big blow again. A number of bookings have been cancelled.

So to circumvert this challenge our government is supposed to ease restrictions and allow the local tourism to prosper.

We are definitely going to live with this virus for a long time, just like we are living with HIV and Aids so we must embrace this new normal. We can’t keep on locking the country up.