Zimbabwe’s President Emerson Mnangagwa on Tuesday imposed a second lockdown following a surge in coronavirus (COVID-19) cases in the country.
The restrictions under level 4 lockdown will be in place for the next 30 days. They include a stay-at-home order except movement to access food and medicine.
President Mnangagwa, in a tweet, has urged people to avoid large gatherings and non-essential travel.
He wrote, “Zimbabwe is entering a second lockdown to stop the spread of a COVID-19 second wave.
“Please, for the sake of your family and loved ones, avoid large gatherings and non-essential travel.
“This is the final push – let’s defeat this virus for good.”
Police have mounted checkpoints on major roads leading to the capital, Harare, where only essential service providers are permitted to pass.
Permanent Secretary for Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services, Nick Mangwana, on Monday, said that it was necessary to return to more intense measures to contain the spike in infections.
He said, “Globally, there was also a new strain in the UK and South Africa as well as new waves of infections in many countries.
“Our own infection and death rates were rising exponentially and Government took a very proactive decision to contain this before it overwhelmed our health services which are still in recovery mode.
“The only way to contain these soaring numbers was to take our regime back to Level 4 lockdown.”
The country’s death toll stands at 384.