8000 arrested as govt intensifies lockdown enforcement

25 Nov, 2020 - 18:11 0 Views
8000 arrested as govt intensifies lockdown enforcement

The Sunday News

Munyaradzi Musiiwa, Sunday News Reporter 

POLICE have arrested more than 8000 people since the beginning of the week as Government has started intensifying the enforcement of lockdown measures in the wake of spiking cases and mounting deaths particularly in Bulawayo.

In an interview, Chief Coordinator to the National Response to the COVID-19 pandemic in the office of the President and Cabinet, Dr Agnes Mahomva said Government was concerned with the reluctance by citizens in adhering to the lockdown measures resulting in the rise of Covid-19 cases in the past few weeks.

Dr Mahomva said the Covid-19 taskforce met on Monday and discussed among other issues the failure by citizens to adhere to lockdown measures resulting in Government intensifying and strengthening the enforcement of the lockdown measures.

She said police have so far reported that more than 8000 people have been arrested for violating lockdown measures.

“We are very concerned with the spiking cases of Covid-19 particularly in the Southern region. What we have observed as Government is that people have become reluctant and are not adhering to the lockdown measures.

“We made this report last week Friday that people are not adhering to the lockdown measures. The Covid-19 taskforce met on Monday and also noted that there was need to intensify and strengthen the enforcement of lockdown measures. And Cabinet also made the announcement to that effect on Tuesday.

“So police have so far reported that since the beginning of the week more than 8000 people have been arrested for violating the lockdown measures following the intensification of the enforcement of the measures,” she said.

Dr Mahomva said the reluctance by citizens to adhere to the lockdown measures has derailed Government efforts that has seen the country containing the pandemic and recording lower deaths as compared to other affected countries.

She said there was need for citizens mostly in the Southern part of the country to be more vigilant as the festive season approaches.

Dr Mahomva said there was also room for the implementation of stricter lockdown measures if citizens continue violating lockdown measures.

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