Africa-Press – Zimbabwe. The Confederation of Zimbabwe Retailers (CZR) has implored the government to impose a 30-day hard national lockdown to prevent new coronavirus infections from spiralling out of control.
In a statement, CZR president Denford Mutashu said a 30-day lockdown will help turn the tide against the COVID-19 pandemic.
Mutashu called on the government to introduce an 8 pm to 6 am curfew and limit operating hours from 8 am to 4 pm daily for essential service providers. He said:
Companies should also submit a list of their essential employees to a command centre in their area of operations.
Law enforcement agencies should clamp down on illegal gatherings, illegal private house parties and close all shebeens as well as enforcing minimum numbers for funerals.
Only essential services providers should remain operational during the proposed 30-day lockdown. Public transport operators should also carry 50 per cent of their capacity.
As CZR we implore the Government to revise lockdown offence penalties.
The government has hitherto avoided imposing a hard nation lockdown in spite of rising new infections in various parts of the country.
Currently, Kariba, Karoi, Chinhoyi, Kwekwe, and several suburbs in Bulawayo remain under localised lockdowns.
