Govt places Kwekwe  under strict lockdown

Thandeka Moyo-Ndlovu, Health Reporter
GOVERNMENT has with immediate effect put Kwekwe on a localised two-week lockdown to avert the spread of the deadly Indian Covid-19 variant which was recently detected in the town.

The lockdown came into effect yesterday and the curfew hours for the city have ben reviewed and now start at 7PM and end at 6AM.

Part of lockdown recommendation include the immediate ban of weddings, church services and other public and private groupings.

All funerasls in Kwekwe, under the strict lockdown once approved will be supervised by health workers and should not gather more than 30 people.

In a statement the Vice-President who is also the Health and Child Care Minister Dr Constantino Chiwenga, said the localised lockdown was part of measures by the Government to contain the spread of Covid-19.

Since the onset of the Indian variant, the ministry tightened case investigations and contact tracing in Kwekwe to stop the spread of the variant.

“We quarantined positive cases and close contacts of those who tested positive. There was also disinfection of supermarkets, Amaveni dumpsite, National test seed pavements and old Gokwe Road,” said VP Chiwenga.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has said it is reclassifying the highly contagious triple-mutant Covid variant spreading in India as a variant of concern, indicating that it has become a global health threat.

According to WHO, a variant can be labelled as of concern if it has been shown to be more contagious and more deadly.

Uganda was the first country In Africa to confirm the spresence of the Indian variant identified in India late last year in a sample taken from a traveller.

The new wave of infections in Africa is thought to be partly associated with the emergence of some variants that are more transmissible.

Following the detection of the Indian variant in Zimbabwe, Government has since announced measures, including the localised lockdown, to prevent it from spreading. — @thamamoe

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