Introduction
Community Tolerance Reconciliation and Development (COTRAD) trained 14 Health Champions to observe, record and document information about COVID-19 in Masvingo. The Health Champions from 7 districts of Masvingo province having being observing the COVID-19 lockdown situation for the past 21 days. The observations shows that the residents of Masvingo province both in rural and urban areas have gradually adopted the lockdown regulation. The observations highlighted that during the early days of the lockdown the residents, mostly in rural areas and high density suburbs were not respecting the stay at home order and social distancing wasn’t being observed in queues. However, the residents later on complied after the Ministry of Health and Child Care and other stakeholders intensified COVID-19 awareness programs. The deployment the Zimbabwe Republic Police and the Zimbabwe National Army in the streets also reinforced the enforcement the lockdown order in Masvingo. The service providers were at most time relaxed in ensuring the availability of hand washing facilities at premises entrances and also lack of seriousness in enforcing social distancing on queues and at tills. At shops such as Pick and Pay, OK supermarkets and Spar supermarkets order and social distancing was being enforced by the police and or military. A number human violation cases were recorded, soldiers and police officers brutalizing citizens who were caught milling around the streets, defying the national lockdown. The Heath Champions have observed that Masvingo province COVID-19 preparedness was way far below standards. The Province established 10 COVID-19 isolation centres with a total capacity of holding 125 patients at a time. Fortunately, no positive cases to COVID-19 has been confirmed in Masvingo province yet.
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Source: Community Tolerance Reconciliation and Development (COTRAD)
