President Emmerson Mnangagwa has called on Zimbabweans to practice good personal hygiene to combat the coronavirus pandemic.
He made the remarks when he launched Zimbabwe’s preparedness and response plan for the Covid-19 pandemic at State House today.
“As the pandemic spreads, i call upon everyone to wash their hands and practice good personal hygiene.
“This is an issue of a serious disease we cannot ignore because it is causing a dramatic decline of the economy, COVID-19 has been showing to affect everyone and as Zimbabwe we cannot continue business as usual as it is not a matter of if but when,” said Mnangagwa.
Early this week, Mnangagwa declared coronavirus a national disaster before suspending all national gatherings including the 40th independence celebrations and the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair among a cocktail of measures meant to tackle the global pandemic.
He however opted to keep schools open, a move criticized by teachers’ unions as unnecessarily placing the school children at risk.
Zimbabwe is yet to record a single case though upto 14 suspected cases were reported.
Meanwhile, Zambia recorded its first two confirmed cases of the virus while South Africa’s confirmed cases now stand at 150.
As of yesterday, 27 countries on the continent had reported 576 cases and 15 deaths.
