Kariba, Hurungwe districts placed under lockdown

The districts of Kariba and Hurungwe have been placed under lockdown, the Ministry of Health and Child Care has confirmed.

In a statement, the ministry said:

The Ministry of Health and Child Care has noted an increase in Covid-19 cases in Mashonaland West Province and the hotspots are Hurungwe and Kariba districts. More than 40 cases were recorded in the last three days. The Ministry has therefore declared a lockdown in the hotspots of Kariba and Hurungwe districts.
The lockdown will be reviewed after two weeks.
Those living outside Hurungwe and Kariba are prohibited from visiting the two districts. The public is advised that health education, contact tracing, and isolating positive cases is being done.
We urge the public to cooperate with health workers and to continue adhering to the World Health Organisation containment measures like sanitizing, social distancing and the correct wearing of face masks.

The localised lockdown follows that of the Midlands capital Kwekwe, which is in its third week of restrictions. It was over the Covid-19 variant Delta, mostly commonly found in India,

Zimbabwe has experienced an upsurge in cases in the last week, with new daily infections hitting triple figures.

The use of localised lockdowns may be to avoid a scenario where a national one is imposed, especially when the data available can help ascertain how to manage scenarios.