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Herald Reporters
There was significant greater compliance with lockdown regulations yesterday, along with tightening of their enforcement, as the number of confirmed cases rose by 214 to 2 034 with 1 046 being local infections.

Of the 214 new confirmed cases, 124 were among returning residents in formal quarantine and 90 were infected within Zimbabwe, but only 15 of them from a known contact. Despite the rise in returnee cases, local infections are still the majority. There have now been 1 046 local infections compared to 988 among quarantined returning residents, according to the Ministry of Health and Child Care.

The death toll remains at 26, with no new fatalities, while the number of infected people who are fully recovered crept up to 510, meaning around a quarter of all infected Zimbabweans are fully recovered and can return to work.

In most city centres yesterday there was less unnecessary travel, more people wearing masks properly and all retail businesses, now including restaurants, take-aways and service stations, closing at the new time of 3pm.

The earlier closing was allowing staff and customers to get home, despite transport delays, before the start of the curfew at 6pm but even with Zupco co-operating with full services in the later afternoon to move as many people as possible and as early as possible, the exceptionally busy terminuses in the west of Harare city centre were still clearing commuters as the curfew approached.

Last night police were out enforcing the new curfew. Most people now have to stay at home between 6pm and 6am although staff in essential services are permitted to travel between home and work and people are allowed to seek emergency medical treatment and medicine.

Under lockdown rules, those not working in essential services or exempted business operations were supposed to stay at home but this ruling was being increasingly flouted.

President Mnangagwa on Tuesday night, reminding people of the rules, called on non-working people to stay at home and only move for essentials such as when buying food, fetching water or for medical reasons.

Under existing rules, everyone must wear masks outside of homes; everyone must be screened when entering public places and buildings; social distancing must be observed; public transport passengers must be screened and sanitised on boarding, with buses disinfected between round trips. Plans to re-open intercity movement have been put on hold and these remain banned.

These measures are meant to curb or at least slow the spread of Covid-19 which has been prevalent worldwide.

Yesterday morning there was a notable decline of public movement in the Harare city centre.

The situation was different at most hiking spots along major roads which go in and out of Harare. Travellers were seen milling along the roads trying to secure transport home.

Hitch-hikers along Bindura Road said they wanted to be at their homes before 6pm when the curfew begins.

“I stay in Mvurwi, that is where I am heading right now. I am aware there is a curfew and I don’t want to be caught on the wrong side come sunset. I had visited the capital to buy some essentials,” said Mr Edgar Shiri.

But while there was greater enforcement of rules, illegal vendors and money changers were seen going on with their business as usual, and defying the limited 8am to 3pm working hours.

The transport situation was dire as most terminuses were still packed.

At Market Square most people failed to meet the 6pm curfew as they were still waiting for transport to ferry them home. This terminus serves the largest block of south-western and western suburbs and many living in those areas need two bus journeys, one into the city centre from their workplace and the second from a city terminus, often a different one, to their homes.

At Copa Cabana and Simon Vengai Muzenda (formerly 4th Street) terminuses by end of day only a handful of people were still present.

In Masvingo the police and army increased roadblocks especially into major cities and growth points to curb unnecessary movements. The security personnel were thoroughly vetting both vehicular and human traffic into the city and urban settlements.

Long queues could be seen along the Masvingo-Beitbridge highway as traffic coming from the direction of the border town especially haulage truck were subjected to thorough search by law enforcement agents.

There was also extreme enforcement of the order for everyone to wear a mask with those caught on the wrong side of the law being arrested.

Traditional alternative routes used by those trying to evade roadblocks were also sealed resulting in very low traffic particularly in the Masvingo city centre while human presence was reduced.

By 3pm all the business in the city and Nemanwa Growth Point had closed and almost deserted as operators headed the new 3pm deadline to close business.

Provincial police spokesperson Chief Inspector Charity Mazura said law enforcement agents were out in full force across the province to enforce the new lockdown.

“By tomorrow(Thursday) we will be able to release the number of those arrested for violating regulations. We will be collating figures from all corners of the province during the night but what I want to tell the people of Masvingo is that we out in full force on the ground to make sure our people abide by the new rules.”

In the Midlands there was low human and vehicular traffic in two major cities of Gweru and Kwekwe as police started enforcing new lockdown rules. People intending to get into town with no letters from their employer were also turned back.

Gifts shops, boutiques and other non-food shops were ordered to close, although they are still legally allowed to open, while people in bank and money transfer shop queues were dispersed by police officers patrolling the streets.

In Victoria Falls, most shops including tuck shops both in the suburbs and central business district were open as usual. Most complied with the new closing times and closed at 3pm although there were few general dealer shops that were still open just before 4pm especially in high density suburbs.

There was no presence of security personnel on the streets during the day as residents went about their day to day business as usual.

But a significant number of people was moving around the streets without masks or not properly wearing one despite President Mnangagwa emphasising on all citizens to comply with regulations.

In Marondera, loitering and movements within the town was prohibited while members of the security were enforcing the lockdown directive.

All entry points into the town centre were being checked and people without papers turned away.

However, informal traders were operating on their designated sites. SMEs are permitted to operate under conditions.

In Mutare, human and vehicle traffic was low in the morning as police at roadblocks were turning away those who did not have exemption letters to get into town. Supermarkets and other shops remained open although there were fewer customers frequenting the shops.

Queues were witnessed at some banks in town although there was some effort by the banks to ensure that people maintain social distance. By 3pm, shops had closed and most people had left the uptown area of the city centre. However, there were long queues at Mudzviti Bus Terminus where commuters were waiting for Zupco buses to ferry them home.

In Chinhoyi, security forces have been enforcing existing lockdown regulations by only allowing those with exemption letters to get into town.

Police and Zimbabwe National Army officers conducted routine patrols in and around the city centre area where those not possessing letters showing they worked for essential or exempt entities were turned away.

Most shops closed doors at 3pm while the central area was deserted by 6pm as people adhered to the new specifications of a 6am to 6pm curfew.

Students from Zimbabwe Open University and Chinhoyi University of Technology currently writing their end of semester examinations, did not face any challenges from the officers.

Human traffic was relatively low in Kariba Town as people largely stayed at home.

Those who travelled were going to buy food and other consumables at Nyamhunga Shops.

Security details were visible as people rushed to beat the adjusted closing time and subsequent curfew.

Shops closed promptly at 3pm.

Meanwhile, ZANU PF has endorsed the fresh directive by President Mnangagwa to tighten the lock down measures as a direct response to the spiking positive cases of Covid19 and the rising cases of deaths.

“The party fundamentally takes pride in the President’s wisdom and the expertise of our health personnel, whose efforts in handling the cases thus far has been priceless despite efforts to weaponise them into unnecessary job actions in this critical time.

“The measures pronounced by the President and Commander-In-Chief of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces which have taken effect this morning (yesterday) are the most relevant and accurate given the nature of the pandemic which we and the world are battling to contain,” said the ruling party in a statement.

The party implored Zimbabweans not to be misled by some elements spreading fake news insinuating that the country was under military curfew.

“We do not have a military curfew, but a lockdown curfew on top of other measures which the President has declared.

“Those who violate those regulations will have themselves to blame. Members of the party must help educate communities on what these new measures entail without violating them as well because no one is above the law.”’