ZIMBABWE’S COVID-19 cases are spiralling out of control, and the southern African country, battling to overcome a sea of tragedies, finds itself at the crossroads.
Many factors have triggered the relentless surge in infections, which is threatening to rip the health delivery system apart, as authorities clamour for people to troop to over-stretched vaccination centres to get their life-saving jabs.
Vaccination is the cornerstone of the fight against the pandemic, but so many things can also be done by both government and individuals to combat the spread.
But before we remind people about what needs to be done, we urge government to introspect fast, look at the shortcoming of the current strategies and address them.
As it stands, Zimbabwe has failed to learn from the past.
In her post-Cabinet Press briefing this week, Information minister Monica Mutsvangwa said government was looking at ways of reopening schools.
Perhaps it was just a slip of the tongue, but given the scale and threat of the third wave, as we have seen it already, there is no way a normal, people-centred government can direct schools to reopen under such circumstances.
“With regard to primary and secondary education, the nation is advised that in preparation for the opening of schools for the second term, the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Child Care, has instituted the following contingency measures: Inspection visits being carried out to assess the state of preparedness at all boarding schools, high enrolment day schools and schools with very limited infrastructure; ensuring adequate WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene) provisions at every school; completion of COVID-19 infection prevention and control training workshops for teaching and non-teaching staff; (and) confirmation of COVID-19 essential supplies in all districts. The Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education is working on modalities to enable a blend of face-to-face classroom learning, remote learning at home and in communities, as well as alternative learning platforms, such as e-learning, radio and television,” Mutsvangwa said.
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Yesterday, teachers unions warned against prematurely reopening schools saying it would be “suicidal and genocidal”.
This is true given the fact that Zimbabwe has demonstrated before that it has no capacity to manage the pandemic in the middle of a school term.
In April, after a rushed decision to open schools, 106 cases were recorded at two schools in one day in Matabeleland South province.
This came despite numerous calls against reopening of schools by stakeholders in the education sector.
Higher education institutions have been closed after COVID-19 threatened to overrun them, with Harare Polytechnic College and Dambudzo Primary School in Mbizo, Kwekwe, recording deaths.
Against this background, it will be ill-advised to reopen schools until government can provide personal protective equipment to contain the spread as parents and guardians are reeling under COVID-19-induced economic hardships.
Government should engage stakeholders and make an informed decision before reopening schools.
It will be a tragedy if Zimbabwean authorities expose children to the deadly respiratory virus.
