Health Experts Urge ED To Extend Lockdown

Health experts have urged President Emmerson Mnangagwa to extend the lockdown beyond the initial 21-day period set to elapse on Sunday, saying the situation on the ground does not allow for the lifting of the measures.

In an interview with the Daily News, the secretary-general of the Zimbabwe Association of Doctors for Human Rights (ZADHR), Norman Matara, said Zimbabwe has not yet met the WHO guidelines for lifting lockdowns. He said:

Currently, we have not achieved disease transmission control as evidenced by the confirmation of five positive cases on Wednesday, all of which were local transmissions.

We are still carrying out less than 100 tests per day, showing that we still need to increase our capacity to detect, test and isolate cases.

Treatment centres outside Harare are yet to be equipped with intensive care facilities for treatment of severe cases of COVID-19.

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The secretary-general of the Zimbabwe Professional Nurses Union (ZPNU), Douglas Chikobvu, weighed in, saying if the government lifts the restrictions early, the country will face the devastating effects of the disease.

Meanwhile, the secretary-general of the Senior Hospital Doctors Association (SHDA), Arron Musara, said the government will not be able to to meet the WHO requirements without adequate funding.

More: Daily News