The Zimbabwean government says gatherings of more than 50 people will not be allowed during the country’s 41st independence anniversary celebrations on Sunday.
The country’s Information Minister Monica Mutsvangwa, who said this during a post-cabinet media briefing as reported by state-run Herald newspaper on Wednesday, added that the government was taking the step in order to cut the spread of the Coronavirus (COVID-19).
Zimbabwe will mark its 41st independence anniversary on April 18, and for the second year running, the occasion will be commemorated virtually due to the pandemic.
“Cabinet is advising citizens to maintain a high level of alertness and adhere to the preventive measures already in force.
“This includes during the impending 41st Independence Day Anniversary when gatherings of more than fifty persons will also be prohibited,” Mutsvangwa said.
This comes as some schools in the country have been hit by the pandemic since they reopened last month, with one boarding school in Matabeleland South Province recording 117 cases out of a population of 281 learners and teachers.
The minister said hospital admissions for COVID-19 cases had dropped, resulting in major hospitals such as Parirenyatwa in Harare reclaiming areas in the out-patient department for routine service provision.
As of Tuesday, Zimbabwe had recorded 37,330 cases, 34,932 recoveries, and 1,543 deaths related to COVID-19.
A total of 218,516 people in the country have also received their first COVID-19 jab while 29,839 have received their second since the vaccination programme with Chinese vaccines began on Feb. 18.
To protect learners and avoid a COVID-19 infection spike, Mutsvangwa said, the cabinet directed that all learners at boarding schools should remain at their respective schools during the Independence Day holiday, as happened during the Easter Holiday. (Xinhua/NAN)