It is just after mid-day and the hot November sun is blazing, signifying the arrival of the rains. BY PHYLIS MBANJE The popular Copacabana bus terminus is teeming with hustlers selling all sorts of trinkets as money changers lean on their cars. Many are loading mounts of sadza into their mouths while engaged in bawdy language. Sharing food is not uncommon with various hands digging into the greasy food served from car boots. Commuters are in long winding queues breathing heavily down each other’s sweaty necks, anxious to get onto the Zupco bus. A young conductor sits at the entrance with his ticket book talking jovially to commuters. Groups of school pupils stand huddled together as they await their turn to board the bus. In the tiny shops around the populous area, prospective customer jostle to view the cheap products largely from Zambia, Tanzania or Mozambique. All seem normal. No one is wearing a mask and there is no physical distancing. The Zupco personnel has long since stopped sanitising passengers’ hands as they board the buses, which now even have standing passengers. It is as if COVID-19 has disappeared and yet reports and statistics indicate that Zimbabwe could already be in the second phase considered more deadly than the first. “So, what is really apparent is, we are probably already in the second wave,” said public health practitioner Grant Murewanhema who shared insights into the prevailing situation. “After a period of relative quiescence, the confirmed positive numbers have started going up again, albeit less sick people. The virus is very much around and spreading quietly.” Stakeholders including the Vice-President, who is also the Health minister, Constantino Chiwenga, have raised concerns over failure by people to pay attention to the basic ways of controlling the spread of the virus such as physical distancing, wearing of face masks and proper hand hygiene as well as coughing etiquette. “Higher levels of complacency have set in, mainly because people have a very low risk perception, some think COVID-19 is not for Zimbabweans and Africa and others simply don’t care,” Murewanhema said. The economic malaise has also forced some to engage in risky behaviour as they hustle for survival. “A lot has to balance between fear of COVID-19 and bread and butter issues; people have to feed their families,” Murewanhema added. The recent outbreaks of COVID-19 infections in schools pose another headache. The children are facing a double dilemma at community level as well as at the densely populated schools. Most students are not adhering to WHO specified regulations. “We cannot afford to be complacent with COVID-19. Today, seven people tested positive for COVID- 19 in Chinhoyi. “These are Chinhoyi University of Technology students and the provincial medical director said a lecturer, who tested positive last week at the institution, was seen roaming around town without a mask,” Information secretary Nick Mangwana tweeted. But people have accused the government of being lax with regulations and hurriedly reopening s
