This comes as the number of local transmissions has risen by over 200% in the past week. The country has now recorded 1 713 confirmed cases up from 985 cases recorded by last week. The number of deaths has now risen to 26 from 18 Local transmissions now exceed imported cases at 872 against 841.
Announcing the new measures this evening, President Mnangagwa said that it would be irresponsible of Government not to tighten the lockdown measures to minimise the loss of lives. The measures will apply from tomorrow, July 22, 2020.
He said more worrying was that South Africa, the country's neighbour and major trading partner, ranks fifth globally on number of infections, after the United States of America, Brazil, India and Russia.
"The affinities and intense, multi-layered interactions between our two countries mean we have a very serious situation on our doorstep. This is coupled with an upsurge recorded in all our other neighbouring states. Therefore, this sobering reality means that we can no longer be complacent, and that requires urgent and decisive measures."
President Mnangagwa announced a curfew from dusk-to-dawn curfew daily starting at 1800hrs and ending at 0600hrs, which exempts essential services. The business day has been cut to 0800hrs to 1500hrs to allow workers to be home before the onset of the curfew. The closing time was 1630hrs previously.
The President also announced that the non-employed population should restrict movement to essentials which are food, water and health services and there should be strict observance of WHO guidelines for SME's with designated/allocated workspaces as they have been allowed to continue operations.
Food markets will remain open and operational but must observe set measures, rules and requirements meant to uphold public health. Suppliers to markets should be facilitated to reach the markets, including by security forces. Intercity public transport and inessential transport to all rural areas however remains banned.
Other measures:
- All approved buses and vehicles for public transport should ensure and enforce public health standards, including the screening of passengers before boarding, and the disinfecting of all public vehicles after each round trip;
- Public gatherings for social, religious or political purposes remain banned. Funeral gatherings remain curtailed, in line with public health requirements.
- Desertion from places of quarantine by returnees and infected persons, resulting in the exposure of innocent lives to the virus will be considered a criminal act and invite very robust response from law and public health-enforcement arms.
- Anyone who knowingly exposes, aids, abets, or infects innocent persons, whether by breaching conditions of isolation or by encouraging actions which undermine public health measures which Government has announced or undertaken, will be liable, and severely punished accordingly.
