By Own Correspondent| Influential and celebrated traditional healer Sekuru Banda has urged Zimbabweans not to panic in the face of the deadly coronavirus that has already claimed one life from the five confirmed cases in the country.
Zimbabweans have panicked since the country recorded its first COVID-19 death with people flocking local supermarkets hoarding foodstuffs and other essentials amid fears of a possible lockdown.
But in an interview with ZimEye today, Sekuru Banda impressed upon citizens to remain calm, listen and follow advice from the government, World Health Organisation (WHO) and other medical experts on ways to stay safe from the global pandemic.
“I urge people not to panic, panicking will only worsen the situation, this disease will soon pass even in China where it started, it’s now under control, all that is needed is to take preventive measures and follow government and WHO guidelines on staying safe,” said Sekuru Banda.
He also urged citizens to look for knowledge on the disease from official sources and shun spreading fake news which he said was causing confusion as people end up making decisions based on wrong information.
“Fake news spreads very quickly and I would advice people to get information from trusted sources, many a times people end up acting on wrong information causing more confusion.
“Government should also make sure all the relevant information is easily available to citizens,” added Sekuru Banda.
On a global scale, the disease has claimed over 18 000 lives from the 410 000 confirmed cases.
Zimbabwe has recorded five positive cases and one death but the government has already put in place measures to contain further spread of the virus including banning of gatherings of over 50 people, closing of borders to foreigners while urging people to stay at home.
The disease has slowed economic progress globally with major currencies including the British Pound, the Euro, South African Rand and Chinese Yuan losing value but optimism remains that the disease will be contained in the shortest possible time.