The Sunday News
Bruce Ndlovu, Sunday News Reporter
BULAWAYO recorded two more Covid-19 deaths on Tuesday, bringing to 68 the number of people who have succumbed to the pandemic in the city as infections continue to surge in the country’s second largest city.
The two deaths come after the provincial Covid-19 taskforce having written to the Bulawayo City Council’s health department demanding information on suburbs deemed to be hotspots to determine whether there is a need for a complete lockdown or suburb-based lockdown in the city.
The development also came after John Tallach Secondary School in Ntabazinduna, located about 40 kilometres from Bulawayo last week went on “lockdown” after five of its pupils tested positive for Covid-19. So far, 100 teachers and students have contracted the virus.
According to the latest statistics from the Ministry of Health and Child Care, Bulawayo recorded 13 new cases of Covid-19 with the number of active cases rising to 127. Only Matabeleland North is on par with Bulawayo in terms of the number of active cases, with the province recorded 16 new positive infections on Tuesday. Matabeleland South is third with 76 active cases.
Across the country, 48 new cases were recorded, with 47 of those being local cases. A total of 49 recoveries were reported, and the country’s recovery rate stands at 91.3 percent.
In a post Cabinet meeting briefing yesterday, Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Minister Senator Monica Mutsvangwa said that there would be an increase in community awareness programmes as the country tried to avoid a second wave of the virus.
“Cabinet notes, with concern, that there has been an increase in Covid-19 positive cases over the past two weeks. To guard against a second wave of the Covid-19 outbreak, Government through the Ministry of Health and Child Care, is strengthening surveillance and health information management in order to ensure an efficient and effective system to counter such an eventuality. Furthermore, awareness campaigns will focus on community engagement using community leaders with support from sub-national structures to foster community responsibility and enforce Covid-19 preventative and precautionary measures,” she said.
