Community Responses to Covid 19 Measures: Week 1
The world has been turned upside down by the COVID 19 pandemic. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has since pointed out that the world has recorded more than 680 000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in 203 countries as of 29 March 2020. Italy, China, Spain and United States recorded more than 40 000 deaths and the numbers are increasing daily. In the first 3 months of the pandemic, the global economy has lost around USD3,2 trillion.
Economists predict that if the pandemic is not stopped by August 2020, the world will plunge into a recession much much worse than 1929. This catastrophe plunging the industrialised world into darkness will do more damage for fragile economies in Africa. With 2million Chinese people living in Africa, the bridge for the pandemic to find its way to the continent and to Zimbabwe at high speed is set. In Zimbabwe, the health care system is already in ICU.
If the pandemic comes with the same viciousness, the impact will be unimaginable. By the time of the compilation of this report, Zimbabwe has reported 9 cases with one death. On Monday 30 March 2020, the government decreed a 21 day lock-down through SI 2020-083 Public Health (COVID-19 Prevention, Containment and Treatment) (National Lockdown) Order, 2020.
