By Staff Reporter

FORMER health minister Henry Madzorera has strongly criticised the government over lack of commitment in managing the Covid-19 pandemic saying new infections and deaths could only slow down when authorities were committed to their work.

Madzorera was health minister during the now defunct inclusive government between 2009 and 2013.

The MDC Alliance health secretary urged the government to take necessary steps for the national lockdown to be effective, and reduce the number of new Covid-19 cases and deaths.

“The problem is that we have not achieved the objectives of the lockdown. We just enforced the lockdown but did not do the other things that are necessary for the lockdown to work,’’ said Madzorera.

He said it even if the lockdown was for 12 months and there is no massive testing and isolation to stop further spread, it will not work.

“The people are trying hard to isolate themselves, and observe general personal hygiene. Churches have closed, we have less funeral gatherings and people are trying what they can, but are being constrained by the government which is failing to do its bit of testing for Covid-19,’’ said Madzorera.

He said prolonging a lockdown was also suicidal as the government was not providing any social safety nets for its citizens during the current lockdown.

Madzorera added as a result the general populace will start dying from hunger and end up violating lockdown measures while businesses are going to fold up under such restrictive conditions.

Zimbabwe extended a nationwide curfew early this month, banned mass gatherings and ordered non-essential businesses to close for a month in an effort to curb the surge in coronavirus infections.

Some of the tighter restrictions included a 6 pm to 6 am curfew and a ban on inter-city travel, non-essential businesses.