Zimbabwe’s Ministry of Health says there are now 184 children, who have contracted COVID-19 at John Tallach High School where at least 607 students and teachers are quarantined
Doctors and nurses in Zimbabwe are challenging a Ministry of Health rule they say impedes their ability to leave the country. The ministry said last month that health care workers must obtain official signatures to receive a “Certificate of Good Standing” – a needed reference to get work abroad
Zimbabwe’s back-to-school program is failing to take off with most teachers refusing to return to class because of low pay and concerns about COVID-19. Teachers want a 500 percent salary increase to get out of poverty and say authorities must provide adequate personal protective equipment (PPE) during the pandemic. Zimbabwe authorities say PPE is adequate and are threatening to replace teachers who refuse to return to schools
Zimbabweans are struggling to get by as, even before the COVID-19 pandemic, the economy was in shambles. As food insecurity has grown, charities in the capital have opened relief kitchens to provide free meals to thousands, most of them informal traders unable to earn income because of pandemic restrictions
Earlier this week, police arrested some members of the political opposition who participated in a demonstration demanding that the government pay those who can’t earn a living because of the coronavirus lockdown
The high court ruled Tuesday that security forces must respect human rights while enforcing the 21-day lockdown, which ends later this week. That followed an urgent petition from advocacy group Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights, which said it had recorded several rights abuse cases by the army and police
Tribert Chishanyu, president of Zimbabwe Traditional Practitioners Association, said his organization was happy that President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s government is allowing herbalists to treat coronavirus-positive Zimbabweans
According to the state controlled Herald newspaper, Mnangagwa said, “I cannot tell you whether at the end of 21 days we will extend the lockdown or not. Let’s observe lockdown measures and prevent the spread of the virus.”
Speaking via WhatsApp, Fortune Nyamande, the chairman of the Zimbabwe Association of Doctors for Human Rights, welcomed the lockdown. However, he said the lockdown needs to supplemented by increased efforts to detect COVID-19 cases