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Thandeka Moyo-Ndlovu, Senior Health Reporter
THE Government has raised concern over complacency with the generality of citizens disregarding Covid-19 regulations as evidenced by non-adherence to mandatory wearing of face masks indoors and on public transport.

In terms of Statutory Instrument 169 of 2022 gazetted on Friday, face masks remain mandatory indoors and on public transport.

People who have been administered two Covid-19 vaccines are no longer required to wear face masks in public. Before the gazetting of the regulations, only the triple-vaccinated were exempt from wearing face masks in public.

Statistics from the Health and Child Care Ministry show that as of Sunday, only 4 892 799 people were fully vaccinated with binary doses.

The SI reads “The wearing of face masks is mandatory — indoors at workplaces and places to which the public have access, or in public conveyances (taxis and commuter and other buses, goods, public service vehicles and trains and aeroplanes carrying passengers); outdoors in public places, except for those individuals who are fully vaccinated (that is to say those who have been vaccinated at least twice against Covid-19).”

To date, a total of 6 538 404 people, have received their first dose of the vaccine and 1 169 639 people have received the third dose.

On Saturday, 1 104 people received their first dose, 1 166 the second while 724 got the third.
In an interview, the Chief Coordinator of the National Response to the Covid-19 pandemic in the Office of the President and Cabinet, Dr Agnes Mahomva, said although the pandemic has been contained, complacency remains a major concern in the fight against the global pandemic.

She said Covid-19 citizens should adhere to all WHO recommended measures.
“We are seriously concerned about the level of complacency among our people and it’s like they have forgotten that Covid-19 is here to stay. We continue recording new cases and deaths daily although severity of the disease has been contained, we are not yet out of the woods, Covid-19 is real,” said Dr Mahomva.

She said the Government is also concerned about the slow rate at which people are getting vaccinated against Covid-19 resulting in delays in the country achieving herd immunity.

At least 60 percent of eligible population should be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 for the country to achieve herd immunity.

“At this point as we continue enforcing WHO measures and promoting vaccination, we also rely on citizens to play their part to ensure their loved ones are vaccinated and also adhering to the set guidelines,” said Dr Mahomva.

“Yes, we have had a surge in cases in schools whenever they open, but we managed to contain the outbreaks due to our strong surveillance system. While we continue testing and ensuring people are safe, we urge residents to be responsible by ensuring that they are vaccinated.”

Dr Mahomva said the Government is concerned about the slow rate at which people are getting vaccinated. She urged those eligible to get vaccinated.

Statistics from the provincial weekly update show that Bulawayo province recorded a 223 percent increase in new Covid-19 cases during the past week.

“Generally, the overall number of provincial cases increased during the week under review, with 42 new cases recorded compared to 13 new cases the previous week. The number of people who received the first dose and second dose of Covid-19 decreased during the week under review compared to the number (573 and 574 respectively) in the previous week,” read the provincial update.

Local health expert Professor Solwayo Ngwenya said complacency is likely to reverse the gain made so far in terms of containing the virus in the country.

“It’s disappointing to see that community members have abandoned masks yet the pandemic is still there with some people continuing to die. We are seeing high levels of complacency even in supermarkets where people crowd and snub practising social distancing,” he said.

“We cannot go against scientific advice and rules. We warn people to drop this complacency and be on alert just like before so that we remain safe since Covid-19 is not yet completely eradicated from our communities.”

Bulawayo provincial police spokesperson Inspector Ncube said police will continue enforcing laws regardless of complacency.

“We would like to remind members of the public to adhere to the regulations and preventive measures that Government put in place to ensure that we are all safe from the deadly virus. We discourage compliance driven by the fear of being arrested,” he said.

“Complying with the Covid-19 regulations should be everyone’s responsibility. We should all play a part in ensuring we remain safe from the virus.” – @thamamoe