MIDWEEK REPORTER
MASVINGO-Despite the fact that country has declared that COVID-19 is no longer a public health emergency issue, the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission is not leaving anything to chance as they will follow all health protocols on the day of voting.
The Midweek Watch came to know about the development after one of the teachers recruited to assist with the elections was asked to bring a vaccination card as a requirement to be offered part time employment by the electoral body.
“I am on my way back to my base in Gutu after I was told to bring proof of vaccination failure of which I will not get training as part of temporary staff for the August 23 harmonised elections.
“I left my vaccination card at my school so, I am going to collect it so that I get employed by ZEC as an election officer or support staff.
“ZEC said they will be following the COVID-19 prevention protocols including issuing out gloves on the voting day,” said the teacher on condition of anonymity for professional reasons.
Contacted for a comment ZEC chief elections officer, Utloile Silaigwana could not confirm nor deny the development, but asked for questions to be sent on email of which he had not responded in the past two weeks.
A senior ZEC staffer confirmed that they were asking all those who want to be recruited as election officers to provide proof of vaccination, on the election day he said they will be sanitizing voters for COVID-19.
“Yes, it is one of the requirements for employment as an election officer by ZEC to bring one’s vaccination card before they receive training.
“On the day of elections in order to protect the employees and voters we will be sanitizing voters as they cast their ballots at the polling stations.
“We are doing this because we don’t know the status of voters who come all over the world as some are not vaccinated or could be having the disease and put everyone at risk, it is better to prevent than to treat the disease because is very lethal especially on the elderly who normally constitute the majority of voters if previous statistics are anything to go by,” said the senior staffer on condition of anonymity.
The Ministry of Health and Child Care is no longer issuing daily bulletins on the pandemic a sign that its no longer a threat to the public.
An expert in the MoHCC, environment department, Kutsirayi Victor Nyamandi told this publication that they have since eased all the restrictions contained on the SI 2020-083 on Public Health (CoVID-19 Prevention, Containment and Treatment) (National Lockdown) Order, 2020 has since been repealed but individual organisations may have their own local requirements.
“Travel restrictions between countries are no longer there and the law that was governing the disease and all the protocols have been lifted since the disease is no longer a public health threat although it is still there,” said Nyamandi.
Masvingo City based human rights lawyer, Owen Mafa said as long as the statutory instrument on COVID-19 is still there ZEC is within its right to make such demands, but if it has been repealed then it is no longer possible to lawfully enforce the requirements.
Recently the World Health Organization (WHO) announced that the disease was no longer a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC).
Following the WHO declaration and after the country started recording between one and zero cases daily, the MoHCC gradually phased out the issuing of situation Reports (SITREPs) with the last one coming over a month ago.
Zimbabwe COVID-19 Response National Coordinator, Dr. Agnes Mahomva was recently quoted saying the country was out of the woods.
“When we have an outbreak whether measles, cholera or a pandemic like COVID-19, we tend to give statistics daily as we monitor what is obtaining. Gradually when we see we are out of it, we then don’t give those daily.
“It is like almost saying we can’t give daily stats on malaria, pneumonia. We now cannot give the statistics anymore because we are out of the emergency period. COVID-19 is now being treated like any other disease,” said Dr. Mahomva.
“They monitor like every other disease. When they study that cases are rising, they then start issuing again. It is like when you get to the clinic, they tell you, you have pneumonia, they put the numbers. When they reflect on the figures seeing just one or two cases or when they see 20 cases, this sounds like an outbreak they then compare with other clinics and go out to the nation and then we get to see these stats issued out,” she added.
