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Mukudzei Chingwere 

Herald Reporter 

GOVERNMENT has stressed the importance of more credible infor- mation being disseminated to people for the country to win its fight against Covid-19 pandemic. 

This was said by Vice President Dr Constantino Chiwenga who is also the Minister of Health and Child Care while officiating at the launch of Covid-19 awareness stamps in Harare yesterday. 

Zimbabwe has won plaudits from the World Health Organisation (WHO) for the way it has responded to the virus, and now is accelerating the vac- cination programme with the target of registering a total victory against the pandemic. 

Correct information dissemination has been the country’s ace in this fight, information about the vaccines has registered huge successes with more people now interested in getting immu- nised. 

The ZimPost stamps are a unique way of complementing Government’s efforts to fight diseases, opined the VP, they did the same in 1982 to raise awareness against tuberculosis, 2004 against HIV/AIDS, and in 2018 against cancer. 

“The importance of communication in the war against Covid-19 cannot be overemphasised. We need more credi- ble information going out to our people to win this war,” said VP Chiwenga. 

“Today, the whole world is witnessing this occasion as I unveil a special stamp issue aimed at raising awareness on the Covid-19 pandemic amongst our people and globally. 

“The stamp will carry the message everywhere where the letter goes and will play a pivotal role in the provision of information on the pandemic,” he said. 

VP Chiwenga said the stamp bulletin he was shown contains in-depth literature about the pandemic. 

He said: “The preventative measures as well as the personal protective equipment (PPE) which information will go a long way in augmenting the existing efforts in combating the pandemic.” 

VP Chiwenga also reminded the population that they have an important role to play in the fight against this pandemic which requires adherence to prescribed protocols. 

“It is important for all Zimbabweans to remember that we all have an important role to play in containing the spread of this virus. 

“Dealing with the virus is first and foremost about preventing infection and ensuring we all have the proper information on how to do so and share it with people around us,” said VP Chiwenga. 

The Minister of Information Communication Technology, Postal and Courier Services, Dr Jenfan Muswere said ZimPost bridges the commu- nication gap across social strata and talked of the importance of the stamps in information dissemination. 

“ZimPost with its countrywide presence is a key player in the communi- cation sector bridging the information gap between the haves and the have nots. 

“Every year ZimPost moves millions of business and international letters and such a postage stamp is a good medium to communicate Covid-19 awareness campaigns. 

“The issuance of the special set of stamps will go a long way in conscientising the public about the virus because the stamp will travel every- where in the world,” said Minister Muswere. 

ZimPost postmaster-general Mr Sifundo Moyo explained the Covid- 19 awareness stamps features, the four stamps are categorised into distribution locally, the continent, Europe and the rest of the world. 

They are affixed with features encouraging taking up vaccination, importance of hygiene, as well as images for temperature checks which have anchored the fight against the pandemic.