Introduction
On the 19th of April, Zimbabwe extended its lockdown with 14 days as a way of escalating measures of reducing the spread of COVID-19. The country’s extension illustrates the government’s commitment towards effectively containing the virus in the country. The current partial lockdown relaxed restrictions on mining companies, agricultural and food producers, among others as a way of ensuring constant supply of revenue to the government and food. The government also rolled out social assistance programs for vulnerable households including the elderly, vendors and People with Disabilities as a way of reinforcing the lockdown extension. The government’s Task Force on COVID-19 also intensified its outreach activities to establish district and provincial isolation centres for cases of COVID-19 across the country.
Issues covered in this Update
Given the increase in government efforts to contain the virus, Heal Zimbabwe’s Early Warning and Early Response Situation Room increased the number of the indicators it was tracking in relation to the fight against COVID-19 in the country. In this report, Heal Zimbabwe’s Early Warning and Early Response Situation Room provides an update on: how communities are responding to the extended lockdown, availability and cost of basic commodities such as mealie-meal and cooking oil, people’s access to savings, the conduct of lockdown enforcement officers, the availability and quality of health care services for COVID-19 and other diseases, and the availability of information on COVID-19 in local communities.
Methodology
A total of 4 000 trained Early Warning and Early Response Committee members and atleast 5 000 community members who participate in HZT’s outreach activities, CBOs operating in areas where Heal Zimbabwe operates and Heal Zimbabwe’s Peace Clubs provide and verify information in this update.
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Source: Heal Zimbabwe
