Covid-19: Consider the plight of people with hearing, visual impairments

THE right to information is a basic human right, essential for individuals and groups to exercise and make informed decisions as independent persons. While the country has joined the rest of the world in raising awareness of Covid-19 (coronavirus), we note that little has been done by stakeholders to spread the message to people who have hearing impairments and those with visual impairments.

The general population has been able to get access to information on coronavirus, with some organisations going a step further to provide such literature in Ndebele and Shona, but such information is not yet available in braille, for instance.

We therefore call upon stakeholders to move with speed and make information on the pandemic available to all sections of the community so that no one is left behind. In order for us to win this war, everyone must have the right information on how to protect themselves from the virus, and in the unfortunate situation in which they feel sick, what steps they should take to protect their families and those around them.

Nonetheless, we applaud the Government for being proactive in order to make sure that the country remains safe from coronavirus. The Government has gone all out, coming up with preventive measures. And last week, President Mnangagwa launched the country’s Covid19 National Preparedness and Response Plan.

As part of measures to contain the spread of Covid19, President Mnangagwa also declared the pandemic a State of National Disaster and postponed major social events including the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF) and the 40th Independence Day celebrations that were scheduled for Bulawayo next month.

Public gatherings of more than 100 people, including for religious purposes, were suspended for the next 60 days. During the launch of the preparedness and response plan, President Mnangagwa said considering the scale and magnitude of the spread of the virus, it was clear that no country is immune to the disease or will be spared its impact.

“We have the knowledge, the means and resources to fight this disease. If we act swiftly with purpose and collectively, we can minimise the effects of coronavirus on our people and our country. As enshrined in our Constitution, our major priority is to safeguard the health and well-being of all Zimbabweans regardless of age, gender, religion or political persuasion. I strongly believe that we can continue to act together and put our differences aside to do the right things at the right time, at the right place. We will overcome Covid-19,” said the President.

Furthermore, the President also announced that schools will close on Tuesday instead of April 2. He said the Government’s decision to close the schools early followed concerns raised by parents and stakeholders in the education sector.

“Following concerns from parents as well as representations by the educational sector, Government has decided that all schools and tertiary institutions (colleges, polytechnics and universities) will now close on Tuesday, 24 March 2020, as a precaution against the outbreak and spread of coronavirus.

“Government has thought it prudent to be on the side of caution, more so in respect of teaching institutions where human concentration and contact is expectedly high. The decision is part of the general precautionary measures the country is taking in light of the worldwide outbreak and rapid spread of the coronavirus,” said the President in a statement.

The decision to close educational institutions early was welcomed by people from all walks of life, as parents and guardians were worried that their children were prone to the disease due to the nature of the learning environment should an infected person enter the school premises. In addition, when one learner gets infected at home or anywhere for that matter, that learner can easily spread the disease at school.