Special Report- 180 days of COVID-19

We have now reached over 180 days since a national lockdown was announced by President Mnangagwa from 30 March 2020 in response to COVID 19. Various relaxations ensued, but the nation officially remains under lockdown and in curfew.

The past 180 days have not been easy for Zimbabweans. Informal trading, on which the majority rely, was for the greater part suspended, leaving families without any subsistence.

Availability of basic necessities such as water remained elusive, in spite of the need for regular hygiene to curb the spread of COVID-19.

The health care system was and still is on its last legs. Health professionals have been on strike for months without end, and the government has done little to resolve the impasse.

The state of quarantine facilities in which returnees are housed, remain substandard. Many have escaped the facilities.

The deployment of the military and the police onto the streets was met with anxiety, and true to expectation, a number of security forces-perpetrated violations were recorded.

Cases of corruption and human rights violations fuelled by the COVID-19 lockdown were documented daily. Corruption manifested both at grand and petty scales.

Cumulatively, over 700 violations of human rights were documented in relation to the lockdown.

To mark 180 days under lockdown, the Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum brings you a special report titled 180 Days of What? A Summary Review of the First 180 Days of the COVID-19 National Lockdown in Zimbabwe. 

This report was compiled from stories recorded across the length and breadth of our country. It captures personal accounts of victims of all sorts of violations, through 180 stories. The report is also a scorecard for the performance of duty bearers in this time of crisis.

Read the full report here (3MB PDF)

Source: Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum (HRForum)