Health Alert: If Masks Are Not Used Correctly, They Can Be A Source Of Infection
6 April 2020
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Please note that the statetement below was released on Sunday

CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19)

UPDATE: 05 APRIL 2020
Today is day 7 of the 21-day TOTAL LOCKDOWN period in Zimbabwe.

During this Lockdown period, and in line with guidance from WHO, the Ministry is prioritizing, finding, testing, isolation, and treatment of every case in the country as well as tracing every contact as key strategies to identify all suspected cases and minimize community spread of COVID-19.

The Ministry would like to report that today, the National Microbiology Reference Laboratory tested 9 samples.

All of them tested negative for COVID-19.

Therefore, to date, Zimbabwe has 9 confirmed cases, including one death.

The Ministry continues to be on HIGH alert to the COVID-19 pandemic and would like to remind the nation that, the most effective ways to protect yourself and others against COVID-19 are to;
frequently clean your hands with soap and water or use an alcohol-based hand
rub.
cover your nose and mouth with tissue paper or flexed elbow when coughing and sneezing.

maintain a distance of at least 1 meter from people who are coughing or
sneezing.

avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth.

The Ministry would like to advise the nation that masks are effective only when used in combination with frequent hand-cleaning with alcohol-based hand rub or soap and water.

If you decide to use a mask, cover your mouth and nose, and make sure that there are no gaps between your face and the mask.

Avoid touching the mask while using it; if you do, clean your hands with alcohol-based hand rub or soap and water.

If masks are not used correctly, they can be a source of infection.