By Anna Chibamu

THE Zimbabwe Hospital Doctors Association (ZHDA) has urged the public to follow government directives to stay at home to protect themselves from the coronavirus.

President Emmerson Mnangagwa recently introduced a raft of measures in attempts to slow down the spread of the deadly coronavirus which has seen the country so far record five confirmed cases and one death in just a week.

“So far there has not been a cure for coronavirus,” ZHDA treasurer Tapiwa Mungofa told journalists outside Parirenyatwa Hospital in Harare on Thursday.

“All the countries that have managed to control the virus have done so by making people stay at home. So, it is this social isolation and social distancing that is crucial in the management of the disease.

“When coronavirus becomes full blown, it affects a lot of people at a single time. The inability to handle one patient is worrying, what if they are 50? Let us take this seriously.”

Zimbabwe’s junior doctors and nurses went on strike this week demanding from government, personal protective equipment (PPE) in light of the coronavirus. They have vowed not to return to work until their demands are met.