GOVERNMENT yesterday gazetted Statutory Instrument 99 of 2020 to comprehensively give clarity to the Level Two national lockdown announced by President Emmerson Mnangagwa on Friday.
The measures show a balancing act that allows reopening of some formal businesses coupled with extra caution and enhanced testing to prevent the spread of Covid-19. The new law prescribes hefty penalties of up to $36 000 or a year in jail for individuals and companies who fail to comply.
SI 99 says: “Any person who fails to comply with an order of an enforcement officer given under this section, or who hinders or obstructs an enforcement officer from having the access referred to in subsection (6), shall be guilty of an offence and liable to fine not exceeding level twelve or to imprisonment for a period not exceeding one year or to both such fine and such imprisonment.”
SI 99 of 2020 prescribes that every individual must wear a mask “whether improvised or manufactured” when leaving home.
The new regulations also give clarity to businesses that are expected to open during Level 2 of the national lockdown.
“. . . business in the formal commercial and industrial sector means any business, industry, trade or occupation . . . in goods or services for the generation of income or the making of profits, the formalisation of which is evidenced in any one or more of the following ways — (a) the holding of a shop or other licence from a local authority enabling it to operate the business in question from a specified premises; or (b) being the lessee of premises governed by the Commercial Premises (Lease Control) Act [Chapter 14:04]; or (c) being a registered operator for the purposes of the Value Added Tax Act; or (d) being a registered as an employer for the purpose of paying employees’ tax under the Income Tax Public Health (Covid-19 Prevention, Containment and Treatment) (National Lockdown) (Amendment) Order, 2020 (No. 5) 554 Act, or otherwise making a regular return of income for the purposes of that Act; (e) being a party to a collective bargaining agreement negotiated through an Employment Council governing the business in question.”
In relation to transport services the new law states that “every vehicle used by the transport service must be disinfected against Covid-19 by or at the direction of an enforcement officer at least twice daily.”
It also stipulates that every individual must be temperature-tested and have his or her hands sanitised before being allowed to board buses while further reinforcing the decree that any public gathering should not exceed 50 people.
The S1 also prescribes that workers who are going to benefit from the relaxed lockdown must undergo rapid or Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) testing “before resuming work for the first time during the national lockdown, every person . . . must at the direction of an enforcement officer submit to screening and testing for the Covid-19 disease, whether by use of the rapid results diagnostic test or other test approved by the Minister of Health. (3) Employers of the persons referred to in subsection (1) must arrange with enforcement officers for the testing contemplated by subsection (2) to take place at an agreed time at the workplace or at any other place agreed between them, for which purpose they may contact the Ministry of Health Call Centre or the Ministry of Information Call Centre.”
SI 99 says all business are also expected to operate from 8am to 3pm “except for good cause” that can be proved to law enforcement agents. Speaking to journalists in Harare yesterday, Health and Child Care Minister Dr Obadiah Moyo said a massive testing programme will be rolled out around the country soon, including both rapid testing and the more comprehensive PCR tests.
“Rapid testing will allow us to carry out a surveillance screening, which will enable us to have a general picture of the country’s Covid-19 status while we continue with the PCR diagnostic testing in order to establish the definitive Covid-19 status of the country.”
Dr Moyo said the massive testing programme will see mandatory PCR tests being undertaken on “all admitted patients, all health care workers, security service employees as well as all clients testing positive following rapid screening”.
He said under the enhanced testing programmes, selected public and private health centres will conduct PCR and rapid testing, while outreach teams will also be deployed to various parts of the country.
Outreach teams will be deployed with support from some of our partners to facilitate testing of employees at their respective workplaces.
“The ministry will expedite testing both at designated facilities and their respective workplaces.”
Dr Moyo implored companies that have been granted the greenlight to open to enforce preventive measures as well as ensure that all staff are tested.
The President said only public buses will be the mode of public transport while kombis and smaller taxis are still not permitted to operate.
Churches, gyms, bottle stores, bars, beer halls, leisure and recreational facilities remain closed, said the President.
Meanwhile, Dr Moyo yesterday also explained the anomaly regarding the six cases that had initially tested positive before a retest provided negative results last week.
“Yes, the six cases came out initially positive but then tested negative. As part of quality assurance, we needed to have a retest because that was a sudden jump because previously we would have one or two positive cases. So it was a retest to ensure that all the high numbers were correct. Because of this quality assurance, people should not worry too much about our accuracy. I can assure the public that the quality of our results remains credible, if it had problems, these retests would not have given us accurate results,” he said, adding that the testing process was a complex procedure.”
-State Media