"Only Minister of health will release corona virus figures!" - fake news, no clue what is happening and don't care N Garikai

“We have noted with concern that central government wants to proscribe local authorities from going public about cases of Covid-19,” stated MDC in a statement.


“Local authorities and councils are at the coal face of primary health care across the length and breadth of the country and in the urban areas.

“There is nothing anomalous about councils going public about  cases of Covid-19 in the health  facilities under their jurisdiction, considering that we have before us a dire challenge that  has not only become a threat to human lives but has stretched the capacity of health care systems across the world.”

Sadly, this is not exactly what the nation is dying to hear! Have the local authorities and councils drawn any plans to make sure that all those in self-isolation have food and water so they do not have to leave their homes and thus spread the virus?

Local authorities are responsible for many of the community-based hospitals and clinics, there is no doubt that many coronavirus patients will be flooding in as the outbreak take hold. What is the protocol for dealing with pandemic? Are the doctors and nurses equipped to deal with the flood?  

Have the local authorities drawn up plans to help the street kids, beggars and the many orphans whose parents and guardians will be the victims of the coronavirus outbreak?

There should be regular hand washing stations dotted everywhere especially in the marketplaces, bus stations, shopping centres and most important of all at the clinics and hospitals. Local authorities must make sure no one ever run out of something as basic and yet very critical to the fight to contain the spread of the virus as clean running water.

Neither central government nor local authorities have issued clear instructions on what one must do if they have the coronavirus symptoms. Given the country’s ambulance service is erratic at the best of times, is the sick patient expected to use public transport to go to hospital? What is the bus operator expected to do with a highly contagious passenger; throw him/her off the bus?

The last thing the nation wants is for anyone unfortune enough to be infected with the dreaded coronavirus to find themselves stigmatised and rejected. They will respond by hiding in the crowd and thus infect many, many others. The sick must be made to feel that it is not their fault they are ill and all practical help will be given to them and their dependents.

Both local and central government must have clearly laid down plans stating what is to be done with each coronavirus case from suspected, confirmed, recovered and, God forbid, dead and burial. There must be strictly laid procedures to stop infection spreading at every turn.

Individuals must be appointed to keep meticulous records of what happened to help in the fight to stop the spread of the virus and future reference.

There is so much that both local authorities and central government has not thought through and done.

It is clear that coronavirus will sweep the nation like a veld fire causing untold suffering, death and traumatise the nation. It is most disheartening that very little, if anything at all, is being done by both local and central government to reduce the suffering and the death toll.

It is becoming increasingly clear that there are coronavirus cases in Zimbabwe and, worse still, that the virus has been spreading and killing people for weeks. And all the reports of no virus outbreak in the country were all lies! An ominous start because the people will not have confidence in what the leaders say or do from henceforth. None!

It is ironic and infuriating that Mnangagwa and his Zanu PF cronies rigged the July 2018 to impose themselves as the central government. And now they are sitting there twiddling their fingers, they have no clue what to do to contain the coronavirus. They one thing they want to do is be the one to announce the coronavirus death toll!

“There’s only one official channel of releasing information and this is through the Minister of Health!” Minister of Health Obidah Moyo publicly reprimanded MDC leader, Nelson Chamisa. The MDC leader had announced that there were two more individuals in Zimbabwe, beside the two announced by central government, had tested positive coronavirus.

So, both Zanu PF and MDC, in their respective roles as central and local government officials, have done precious little to stop the spread of coronavirus, they have no systems in place to collect data on the virus much less to act on it. They have no clue what is going on and, frankly, they don’t care! They are each claiming the right to announce Zimbabwe’s FAKE coronavirus outbreak toll! What a macabre fight!