Ndaba Nhuku|Can a lockdown work? What should have been done? Copying other countries will not work. There is no food, water, electricity; absolutely nothing to last even a day. And to worse matters, no hospitalisation necessary as hospitals don’t even have basics.
Isolation? Where? Just like SA, folks are already overcrowded in their homes. What will a lockdown do to them when starving? I will not even mention domestic abuse as a crisis on its own.
What our leaders have done then faced with this global crisis? It’s useless merely imitating others as in plagiarising their speeches.
We should have thought outside the global box and laid bare our case and found in-house solutions. Slows thinking and lack of foresight and vision have always been our downfall.
Possible solutions in our no win situation
Emphasis in the form of public information was needed in prevention of infection. Zim govt should have used it’s media channels to advocate for hands washing and advised citizens to set up even rudimentary washing points.
This is a crisis, gallons with holes to let out water for washing hands at market stalls would serve a huge purpose.
Stopping hand shaking and and contact. No gloves to handle items? Wash hands. No masks? Why not make one as we saw folks do in social media. It’s not what shops sell that work; think outside the box by being innovative and creative.
Whatever serves the purpose is better than nothing because we are in a no win situation. Ours is very very desperate situation compounded by those who fled South Africa lockdown!!!
They have worsened and increased the rate of infections since South Africa was already on the rise as a regional power house with superspreaders.
We could not turn back our citizens but should have had information available for them to save their beloved ones by self isolation.
Self isolation of South African returnees needed foresight. There are many schools near in Zimbabwe along the border. Government should have isolated these folks at these schools and cleared them from there.
This is a crisis that needed desperate critical solutions. Government would have fed the folks even with isitshwala and vegetables for the two weeks or whatever period it took to isolate them.
At least the schools have controlled environment with water and toilets and boarding schools have everything needed.
Why allow urbanites to transport the killer virus to our rural areas?
Government should have availed information to urban citizens to avoid going emakhaya and vice versa. This should have happened long ago if we were willing to learn from China.
Instead our leaders like Oppah were busy celebrating the death of western citizens and economies.
Corporate and global appeal. Why did government neglect involving the corporate world and seeking UN help with its own challenging scenario that is unique from many countries?
Zimbabwe will never get its health facilities working overnight, met alone afford ventilators, and hence the focus on basics whilst letting the common man hustle. Water and cleanliness and social distancing are paramount.
Corporate world and UN should have been asked to help most basics like water and maize meals. The world is not cruel in times of need.
Never before has the world been so desperate and hence we needed desperate solutions not similar to everyone’s because we have a unique challenge in that we dont have anything at all. We can’t lockdown starving people!!!
They will not pay heed at all. They will fend for their kids as will do the police and military officers expected to force them indoors.
Sorry, it’s too late the horse has bolted out. I am myself physically and mentally locked down to have written this earlier. But would it have helped anyone.
One soul saved is better than every elderly or individual with some condition condemned to death.
May our gods look after our folks. I love you my hustling countrymen.
We always persevere despite what nature and dictatorship throws our way!!!
I wish you all the best.