Socio-economic Impact of Covid 19 in Zimbabwe

 

  Covid-19 was declared a global pandemic in early 2020,In that short space of time it has extensively altered the global political and socio-economic landscape. The pandemic has forced nations to implement various measures aimed at curtailing its effects. Communities have been affected with churches, beerhalls and schools being closed. Freedom of movement is now restricted as people can no longer go out as they wish within and between cities. In the worst cases, some countries have closed their borders. Recently in Zimbabwe , the Ministry of Health and Child Care imposed restrictions on the movement of bodies for burial in the country. Such measures by Government indicate that it is indeed no longer business as usual. Desperate measures  for desperate times. While vaccines for the virus have been developed, primarily in the United States, they are yet to be effectively rolled out and the average person can only wait in hope and live with a pandemic that is threatening every aspect of human existence. As the world is waiting in hope and positive anticipation, a new variant of Covid-19 seems to have hit the world again. Experts say that the variant is more dangerous than the earlier one and people should be more careful. In Zimbabwe, the Covid-19 pandemic has worsened and recent statistics confirm this claim. As of Tuesday the 26^th of February 2021, the cumulative number of cases was 35315.A total of 1414 deaths have been recorded to date. More worrying is the recovery rate which has plummeted to just above 60 percent. These statistics reveal a sharp rise in cases and mortality, which is a cause for concern. On January 2 this year, the Vice President and Minister of Health and Child Care Dr Constantino Chiwenga announced a 30-day lockdown for the country to address the pandemic. Predictably, there has been debate as to the effectiveness and relevance of this move with some arguing that complacency still remains a challenge as people break down lockdown regulations.

Others lament the social and economic effects of the lockdown on the livelihoods of the majority of people as the major driver  of disregarding lock down rules.