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Oliver Kazunga, Senior Business Reporter
THE business community has applauded the Government for extending business operating hours under the level four Covid-19 lockdown regime, which has been extended by a further two weeks.

While the extension is meant to consolidate containment of the viral infection, widening business hours is expected to boost economic activity in the country.

President Mnangagwa on Monday reviewed the curfew to run from 8pm to 5.30am, with businesses now allowed to operate up to 5PM. The announcement followed the expiry of previous lockdown regulations.

Employers Confederation of Zimbabwe (Emcoz) president, Dr Israel Murefu, said the lockdown extension was necessary in view of the high rates of infections recorded in the past few weeks.

“We take note that there has been some relaxation, which does not compromise health and safety and those relaxations are to do with the expansion of the curfew times as well as the expansion of operating hours for business and other service providers,” he said.

“We think that those relaxations are positive and we’ve been pleading with the Government to put those without compromising health and safety. So, it creates some kind of a win-win situation.”

Dr Murefu said it was Emcoz’s view that a lot more still needs to be done particularly in assisting businesses that have not been operating due to the adverse effects of the pandemic.

“We need a second stimulus package like in the first Covid-19 wave. However, we realised that most businesses did not realise the benefits of that stimulus package,” he said.

“We think that a second stimulus package is necessary and we also believe that incentives around tax credits or tax holidays relating to expenses, which business will be incurring in fighting the pandemic are critical.”

For instance, Dr Murefu said expenses to do with the testing and acquisition of Personal Protective Equipment, which in most cases is sold in foreign currency, should either be deductible or be given as tax credits in order to assist companies in preserving capital.

Confederation of Zimbabwe Retailers (CZR) president Mr Denford Mutashu said the Government managed to balance business interest and health as he also commended extended business hours.

“We believe the latest intervention is progressive and balanced. The need to ensure that essential service providers continue to operate and increase operating hours is a welcome development,” he said.

Mr Mutashu urged businesses to continue supporting the Government in the fight against Covid-19 through financial, material and moral support. Political Actors Dialogue economic committee chairman Mr Trust Chikohora said the pronouncement by President Mnangagwa regarding the Covid-19-induced lockdown was fair.

“It signifies a gradual movement in the right direction back towards normalcy. This is also encouraging considering that the first batch of vaccines arrived yesterday (Monday). So, it seems that we are moving in the right direction on Covid-19,” he said.