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Yoliswa Dube-Moyo

Banners labelled “NO MASK NO ENTRY” have been the norm on doors into a lot of shops across Bulawayo since the national lockdown imposed by President Mnangagwa to help reduce the spread of Covid-19 began in March.

Back in April, a lot of shoppers obliged. They wore face masks and happily sanitised their hands on entry.

Most adhered to social distancing rules, sticking to markings of one metre apart on the floor at check-out points.

But now, a significant number of shoppers only wear masks to go past the door and lower them as soon as they gain entry.

Even shop attendants no longer diligently offer sanitisers to people as they walk in.

It is the same as with roadblocks. Masks are dangled on the neck only to be pulled up for the officer of the law to see as one drives past.

Since the March 30 lockdown regulations were eased, more and more people have grown lax.

They visit supermarkets without the conviction of why it is important to wear a face mask, sanitise their hands or keep a social distance.

The house parties never stopped for some. Others frequent shebeens and do not worry about being in close contact with the person serving their favourite drink, assuming they are Covid-19 free and neglecting the fact that this person is in contact with scores of other people every other day.

It seems “safe” to hang around friends and colleagues without face masks or maintaining a social distance because they are friends after all, they can’t have Covid-19.

Few people stop to think where their relatives have been and happily believe them when they say, “You can hug me, I don’t have Covid-19”.

It is worrying how most of us have forgotten we are in the middle of a pandemic, which has claimed the lives of over 500 000 people globally.

What is even more worrying is our health system which could struggle to serve the country adequately if cases were to spiral out of control.

Already, there have been 985 confirmed cases in the country, including 328 recoveries and 18 deaths, at a time when the country continues to open up more industries.

Initially, the trend of a majority of cases were from residents returning from outside the country but this has since changed as more local cases are being reported.

Health experts have warned that local transmissions point to a bigger problem as they show that many people within society may not be aware that they are living with the virus.

A hairdresser recently succumbed to Covid-19.

She had self-quarantined after experiencing symptoms but it is difficult to say who she had been in contact with before her diagnosis.

Before she fell sick, the lady had been in contact with colleagues and clients at the salon. She had been into supermarkets and used public transport to and from work, unknowingly spreading the virus to others. No one knows where she contracted the virus from.

In another case, a health worker treated a walk-in patient at a surgery before it later emerged that the patient was Covid-19 positive a week on.

The health worker had not taken the necessary precautions to protect herself and also tested positive for the deadly disease.

She had been in contact with other patients and used the bus home every day after work for two weeks before she knew she had the virus.

And we know how problematic the crowding at bus queues has been since the lockdown began. Social distancing rules have not been adhered to at all since the easing of the lockdown.

It is difficult to say how many people this health worker could’ve infected, again, unknowingly.

Eighteen nurses working in the same ward at the United Bulawayo Hospitals (UBH) contracted Covid-19 after coming into contact with a male positive patient admitted in the area. The outbreak of Covid-19 among health workers at UBH has crippled the hospital as it has been forced to operate with a skeletal staff.

It should be sobering that there are more Covid-19 cases at Mpilo Central Hospital where some nurses contracted the virus after being in contact with an infected patient.

Mpilo has seen more than 197 health care workers being isolated to control the spread of the disease.

Health experts have continually said prevention measures such as social distancing, wearing face masks and continuous hand washing should be stepped up to avoid disaster but this message seems to be falling on deaf ears.

Safety measures are not being upheld especially when one is among friends and family.

A significant number of people have yet to understand that some people may have the virus without showing symptoms and may spread it to everyone who comes into contact with them.

According to the Ministry of Health and Child Care, the number of local cases is increasing with each passing day compared to the past days when most new cases emanated from returnees.

We might be in for a roller coaster ride with winter having set in and more Covid-19 cases being reported in communities.

The fact that lockdown restrictions have been eased and schools and institutions of higher learning are reopening does not help.

The situation is worrying as the rise in local transmissions could point to a bigger problem where many people within society may not be aware that they are living with the virus.

Since the first case was recorded on March 20 until a week or so ago, almost all Covid-19 cases in the country were imported and concentrated in quarantine centres.

The centres, specifically established to house Zimbabweans returning from abroad were the hotspots for the infection. But dynamics have since shifted as more new cases are being recorded out in the community.

There have been reports of people who have been paying their way past the Beitbridge Border post, risking carrying the virus to their communities.

Some have escaped from mandatory quarantine, again, risking the lives of others in the populations they live in.

Now is the time to take heed of the countless key messages that have been shared since the virus broke out in Wuhan, China.

We need to be diligent in wearing face masks properly whenever we’re in public; not to get into a shop or past a roadblock only.

Social distancing should be a must; that metre-plus between you and the next person can save your life – you can never know who is infected or not.

Regular and thorough hand-washing must now be a force of habit.

Assume everyone has the virus and take the necessary precautions to protect yourself and others. – @Yolisswa.