Govt brings back face masks

Source: Govt brings back face masks –Newsday Zimbabwe

VP Chiwenga

The latest Statutory Instrument (SI) published on Friday has made the wearing of face masks in public spaces and in public service vehicles and trains mandatory.

The SI, published by Vice-President and Health and Child Care minister Constantino Chiwenga, amends SI 67 of 2022 gazetted in June on COVID-19 lockdown measures.

The SI partly read: “Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in the Public Health (COVID-19 prevention, containment and treatment) (National Lockdown) (No 2) Order, 2020)… is amended by the insertion of the following paragraph after paragraphs (f) — (g) the wearing of face masks is mandatory —  (i) indoors at workplaces and places to which the public have access, or in public conveyances (taxis and commuter and other buses, public service vehicles, trains and aeroplanes carrying passengers).

“(ii) Outdoors in public places, except for those individuals who are fully vaccinated (that is to say those who have been vaccinated at least twice against COVID-19).”

The latest SI was issued at least two months after the government scrapped the mandatory wearing of face masks for the fully vaccinated following a decline in COVID-19 cases and fatalities.

In August government relaxed the wearing of masks by allowing those who were fully vaccinated not to wear masks.

Statistics indicate that since the COVID-19 outbreak the country has recorded a total of 5 604 deaths and 258 000 cases as of yesterday.