President Mnangagwa meets chiefs over Covid-19

Harare, (New Ziana) – President Emmerson Mnangagwa on Thursday met with traditional leaders to update them on the emergence of the deadly coronavirus, and measures the government was taking to curb its spread.

Covid-19, as the virus has come to be known, has shaken the world and
governments across the world, killing tens of thousands of people and
infecting nearly a million others.

While Zimbabwe has to date a recorded one fatality and eight infections, government took a proactive decision of locking down the country for 21 days from Monday until April 19 to contain the virus.

The lockdown restricts the movement of people except those working
in critical areas like health, water and power.

President Mnangagwa told the chiefs that it was critical they warned their subjects of the dangers the pandemic posed, and communicated government’s mitigatory measures, particularly the ban on unnecessary movement in rural areas, where the majority of the country’s population lives.

“A lot of people from towns and cities moved to the rural areas when the lockdown was announced,” he said.

“So we found it necessary to meet with you and update you on this pandemic.”

President Mnangagwa said while people would be allowed to continue with their daily household chores including tending to their fields, visiting neighbours, unnecessary holding of gatherings, and traditional beer sales which are popular in the rural areas were in the meantime outlawed.

He said the country had since appealed for support to help government
contain the spread of the pandemic and had so far received favourable
support from some development partners.

The country has lodged an appeal for US$2.2 billion for humanitarian
assistance for food and health to deal with the pandemic.

President of the Chiefs Council, Fortune Charumbira said traditional
leaders were supportive of government efforts to contain the virus, and
confirmed that city dwellers had indeed moved to rural areas when the 21-day lockdown was announced.

“It was like the Christmas period after lockdown was announced as people rushed to their rural areas,” he said.

He appealed for government financial assistance, on behalf of the chiefs, to enable the traditional leaders to buy mobile phone air time to communicate with their subjects instead of holding meetings.
New Ziana