PRESIDENT Emmerson Mnangagwa has called on Zimbabweans not to be deceived by just nine cases of coronavirus recorded in Zimbabwe so far, adding that the country was not out of the woods yet.
In a State of the Nation Address at State House Friday, Mnangagwa urged citizens to remain vigilant as the country approaches the cold season in which the dreaded pandemic thrives.
“Our infections stand at nine so far and one fatality and the measures we have taken seem to be paying off. However, the approaching winter season brings with it, greater vulnerability.
“We cannot therefore afford to be deceived by the small numbers of infections, but we must continue to scale up our preparations.
“We are not out of the woods,” he said.
Mnangagwa thanked the larger majority of Zimbabweans who have stayed at home in adherence to his 21-day national lockdown order to try and control the spread of the disease.
Mnangagwa also urged citizens to continue adhering to the preventive measures prescribed by government and the World Health Organisation (WHO) to prevent the spread of a pandemic that has infected over a million and further claimed more than 50 000 lives worldwide.
He thanked locals for continued adhering to the “painful” three-week lockdown period.
“Only last week, I directed a lockdown for our society for a period of 21 days. As your President, I am proud of the way you have responded to the lockdown. Except where it is absolutely necessary, you have stayed at home with your families.
“You have observed and voluntarily enforced social distancing and religiously followed routines of basic hygiene as recommended by the WHO.”
He added, “Social interactions have either stopped or drastically reduced.
“We are on the right path. Well done Zimbabweans.
“This however should not cause complacency among us but instead motivate us to do even more now and in future where a lot is expected from us.”
