HARARE – Zimbabwe will impose a nationwide lockdown for 21 days from Monday to help curb the spread of coronavirus, President Emmerson Mnangagwa said on Friday.

Only state and health workers will be exempted from the lockdown, Mnangagwa said.

Zimbabwe has five confirmed coronavirus cases, including one death.

“Starting Monday, March 30, and subject to further review, Zimbabwe will be under a total lockdown for a period of 21 days. This means all citizens are required to stay at home except of course in respect of essential movements related to seeking health services, for the procurement of food and medicines and for other essential supplies and critical services,” Mnangagwa said during an address to the nation.

“Workers manning our essential services, including health services and outlets, emergency and security services as well as key utilities like power and water are exempt from this directive. To ensure strict compliance, I have directed the command element of our security arms to deploy as appropriate in support of civilian authority.”

Mnangagwa said “only civil servants on duty, in line with the decisions and directives of the public services commission, heads of ministries and members of the taskforce on Covid-19 will be allowed unrestricted movement.”

“While funerals would be exempt from this directive, numbers in attendance should not exceed 50,” he said, while adding that hospital visits would be limited to one visitor per patient per day.

“In respect of open markets, only food-related markets will be allowed to operate during this period under the watch and direction of health personnel. Markets and stalls trading in none food items and commodities will stand closed. Should it become necessary, security forces may be deployed to assist in the enforcement of these and other measures and for the maintenance of order in these markets,” he added.

Mnangagwa also suspended all public transport operations, except for the state-owned bus company, ZUPCO, and Public Service Commission buses for public sector workers.

Mnangagwa said his government would be decentralising testing for coronavirus to provincial centres, following criticism that the government is under-declaring cases because of the few tests conducted so far – less than 100 on Friday.

He said although the coronavirus numbers remained low in Zimbabwe, “this needs not induce complacency in us”, while warning that the impending winter season will “create conditions ideal for infections.”

“We have to take decisive steps now,” he said. “Some of the measures will be drastic and sure to upset our daily routines of our lives as we have lived until now, but they have to be taken. These routines must be internalised by all of us, regardless of position.”

Mnangagwa warned against discriminating against or profiling sections of the community, saying this was “unnecessary and counterproductive” in a message which appeared to be a response to a recent video which appeared on social media showing passengers on a bus ejecting a Chinese traveller.

“The government will come down heavily on businesses and individuals alike who dare take advantage of the situation our nation finds itself in to engage in unscrupulous rent-seeking behaviour. No-one should be found hoarding food and other essential commodities. The long arm of the law will ensure that all those who do not take heed of this warning are brought to book without fear or favour,” Mnangagwa said sternly.

He said legal instruments were being put in place to “punish those who cause unnecessary alarm and despondency through social and other media during this emergency.”

He added: “We all need to act responsibly. I continue to appeal to our employers to support and show compassion to their workforce. The government continues to explore more ways to avert an economic recession.”

Earlier, the Grain Millers Association of Zimbabwe (GMAZ) sent out a notice to millers saying the government had ordered that no maize-meal would be delivered in shops in the central business district. Millers were instead directed to deliver the staple to suburban shops.

The GMAZ had also stated in their notice that the government was going to suspend both residential and business rent during the period of the emergency, but Mnangagwa made no mention of the relief in his address.

The shutdown will bring immediate suffering for a majority of Zimbabweans who are in informal employment, and live from hand to mouth from the little earnings from their daily grind.