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Mukudzei Chingwere
Herald Reporter
Level Two Covid-19 national lockdown has been extended by President Mnangagwa for another two weeks under the same conditions announced a fortnight ago when it was eased from the previous Level Four.

Business hours remain limited to between 8am and 7pm, a 10pm to 5.30am curfew remains, social gatherings limited to 100 and non-essential businesses must have only half the staff on the premises.

Bars stay shut and bottle stores close at 4pm.

Other relaxations apply only to the fully vaccinated who can now play all sports up to 8pm and go to restaurants, gyms, cinemas and theatres.

In a statement last night, President Mnangagwa announced the extension of the second level lockdown restrictions aimed at controlling high level social contact seen as a major and avoidable driver of infection.

“In order to ensure that we continue along the path towards total containment of the Covid-19 pandemic, I have decided it prudent to extend the Level Two Covid-19 national lockdown measures announced a fortnight ago by a further two weeks.

“The situation will be reviewed thereafter to assess the progress we shall have made in order to move to a more relaxed level,” said President Mnangagwa.

Healthcare workers are on top of the situation in confronting Covid-19 with a sustained decrease in the number of those needing hospitalisation.

The hospital bed-occupancy rate is currently at 5,6 percent.

While almost three million people have now received their first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine, more than two-million have been fully vaccinated.

The Government stepped up vaccination accessibility by getting more teams into the more remote areas far from easy access to the normal vaccination points in clinics and hospitals.

President Mnangagwa, however, felt it was still important not to loosen the guard and his measures followed a delicate process of ensuring social services are maintained while at the same time the spread of infection remains in check.

“In the last two weeks under Level Two Covid-19 lockdown, we have continued to see a steady fall in the number of new Covid-19 cases in our country.

“We have been averaging 238 new cases per day and a dramatic fall in deaths averaging four per day,” said President Mnangagwa.

“This is an encouraging sign that the preventive measures that have been put in place by the Government to try and curb the spread of the deadly virus, when followed through to the letter by all Zimbabweans, have been very effective.

“However, during the same period, our country nevertheless experienced some outbreaks, most notably in schools which reopened recently.

“Through concerted efforts by both Government and other players in the health sector, we were able to contain these outbreaks in schools before they spilled into communities,” said President Mnangagwa.

Everyone entering Zimbabwe, whether from neighbouring countries or further afield, must have a valid Covid-19 PCR negative certificate.