President Mnangagwa is still considering the next steps to be taken when the extended lockdown ends on Sunday, but stresses the decision will be informed by the need to save lives.

Speaking at State House in Harare while receiving donations from various organisations yesterday, including gifts from the Indian embassy, he said: “We as Government and as the President decided with this (Covid 19) challenge what do we do? Balancing the need for economic growth and the lives of people as well as saving lives, I came to the conclusion that if people die, we cannot resuscitate them,” he said.

“The economy can die and it can be resuscitated now or in future.

It doesn’t matter, because as long as people are alive you can have conferences and discuss ‘how do we resuscitate the economy’ but I have never seen a conference where people are discussing how to resuscitate the dead.”

He said the Government’s bias has always been towards preservation of life, adding that the organisations that were at State House to donate had proved their understanding that the priority was to save lives.

The President said Zimbabwe had the first lockdown, which he extended by another 14 days, and focus was now on what course of action to take after Sunday.

“When she (Defence and War Veterans Affairs Minister Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri) came to disturb me, I was thinking what happens after this one ends. I am still working on that, but the primary objective is to give priority to saving lives.

“I have been studying events worldwide, how governments are reacting to these things.

Some border on the line of carelessness: some border on the line of over-cautiousness.

“So, we must find a way to err on the side of cautiousness rather than on the side of carelessness,” he said.-State media