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Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal – Vol.7, No.7
Publication Date: July 25, 2020
DOI:10.14738/assrj.77.8728.
Gumbo, O. (2020). COVID-19 Lockdown Measures On Zimbabwean Populace. Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal, 7(7) 797-
814.
COVID-19 Lockdown Measures On Zimbabwean Populace
Olivia Gumbo
ABSTRACT
This paper examines the impact of COVID-19 lockdown measures on
Zimbabwean populace. The objectives of the paper were to understand
the influence of lockdown measures on people living in Zimbabwe. The
use of virtual qualitative methodology was utilised. The data gathering
methods that were used are phone short message services, WhatsApp,
telephone conversations with participants, virtual meetings with key
informants and informal talks with some participants on shopping
queues. The results of the study are that COVID-19 lockdown measures
had negative impact on livelihoods of citizens, brought uncertainties on
youths’ future, confusion to school students and erosion of social
movements. The paper concludes that COVID-19 lock down measures
impacted the general public negatively more than the disease itself. It is
recommended that the Zimbabwean government considers the impact
of lock down restrictions on the most affected groups such as women,
youths and children. The government should cushion the vulnerable
groups with safety net allowances and consult them when developing
strategies that can help them to come out of the shocks they are
currently experiencing.
Key Words: Covid-19 Lockdown measures, Enforcement, Citizens,
Livelihoods, Security force.
INTRODUCTION
The study was carried out to understand the impact of COVID-19 (Cv 19) on the general populace
of Zimbabwe. The study was interested in getting feedback from the populace on how they were
being affected by the lockdown measures. The Cv19 lockdown measures were enforced mainly by
security force in the country. The first part of the paper covers the background to the problem,
statement of the problem, the purpose, objectives and research questions. The second half of the
paper covers methodology, literature review, findings, conclusions and recommendations. The
background to the problem is briefly given in the next section.
Background to the problem
COVID-19 is a global pandemic but its progression is different across the world. Over 4 million cases
have been confirmed world-wide and Africa cases remain comparatively low (Pilling, D. 2020). In
March 2020, 54 out of 55 African countries reported at least one Covid-19 infection (Save the
Children, 2020). Africa suffers more than 22% of global disease burden but has access to only 3%
of healthcare workers and less than 1% of the world’s financial resources (WHO, 2020). Several
African countries reacted quickly by imposing travel bans and introduced quarantine measures to
stop the virus from getting a hold on the continent (World Bank. 2020).
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URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.14738/assrj.77.8728 798
Gumbo, O. (2020). COVID-19 Lockdown Measures On Zimbabwean Populace. Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal, 7(7) 797-814.
Early efforts to contain the pandemic was put in place in the form of lockdowns or travel restrictions
and market although this had a heavy social and economic toll (Cilliers et al., 2020). The intention
of lockdowns was to flatten the rate of COVID-19 infections by buying time for public officials to
improve the capacity of health systems and improve their readiness to deal with the anticipated full
impact of the pandemic (Cilliers et al., 2020.) The urgent need to contain and mitigate COVID-19
brought unprecedented disruption to the ways that people live and work, with the introduction of
some form of social distancing, lockdowns, and quarantines. The African region responded as a
block through information sharing, active coordination of state responses and collective action
(Medinilla,A. Byiers.B. & Apiko,P., 2020).
Rwanda was the first African country to react by imposing a localised lockdown in the second week
of March (Mugabi,I. 2020). Malawi followed by declaring a national emergency, banned public
gatherings and closed down schools on 24 March 2020, before any cases were recorded in the
country (Kondowe,R. 2020). South Africa imposed a nation-wide lockdown from 26 March 2020
while Botswana imposed similar measures on 2 April, after just three cases of COVID-19 were
recorded (Pilling,D. & Cottering, J. 2020).
Zimbabwe imposed the first lock down on 30 March 2020. The Government of Zimbabwe declared
COVID-19 a national disaster on the 19th of March 2020. The first case was reported on the 21st of
March 2020. The first lock down was for two weeks then extended for two weeks to the 3rd of May
2020. The country was then put on indefinite lockdown at level 2, which was to be reviewed after
every two weeks. In April 2020 43 out of 55 African countries closed their borders, and while many
countries allow goods to pass (Medinilla et al., 2020). The lockdown measures had severe effect on
sectors and communities that rely on cross-border value chains, informal trading and on migrant
workers.
Statement of the problem
Before the lockdown measure the country already had problems of high unemployment rate, where
almost 80% of Zimbabweans rely on informal sector and 68% of Zimbabwe gross domestic product
us from informal sector. Schools were struggling to maintain quality education as the teachers were
demotivated by low salaries and were rolling out new curriculum prematurely. There were school
dropouts due to food insecurity while there was no school feeding programme at schools and most
parents could not afford to pay school fees for their children. The Cv19 lock down measures were
imposed on an already struggling nation where ordinary people were not able to make ends meet.
Many informal settlements were facing challenges of enforcing physical distancing since people live
closely together and share some infrastructure and sanitation. Containment measures led to return
movement of migrant workers that accelerated infection rates in the country as at 3 July 2020 the
infection rates in Zimbabwe were 625 while 90% of the number were returnees. The Cv19
lockdown measures obviously exacerbated the populace economic and social challenges.
Purpose of the study
Assess the extent at which Cv19 lockdown measures affect the general populace.
Objectives of the study
1. Establish Cv19 lockdown measures.
2. Examine the enforcement of Cv19 lockdown measures on the general populace.
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Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal (ASSRJ) Vol.7, Issue 7, July-2020
3. Assess the impact of Cv19 lockdown on the general populace.
Questions of the study
1. What are Cv19 lockdown measures?
2. How are the Cv19 lockdown measures enforced?
3. How are the Cv19 lockdown measures affecting the general populace?
RELATED LITERATURE REVIEW
The lockdown measures led to sharp decrease in remittances and tourism, which are vital sources
of foreign currency. All of this has left many developing countries in an extremely vulnerable
situation, with economic growth expectations slashed, falling revenues, rising unemployment and
weakening currencies (Medinilla et al., 2020). The African Union calculations states that the
economy is set to contract by 0.8% to 1.1%, with an estimated 20 million jobs at risk (World Bank,
2020). The World Bank (2020) further projected that economic growth will decline to between -2.1
and -5.1% in 2020 from 2.4% in 2019, leading to the first African recession in 25 years.
Africa is struggling because of limited social safety nets, limited direct cost of COVID-19 containment
measures and the global slowdown is worsening macroeconomic situation (IMF, 2020). This agrees
with Okonjo-Iweala et al. (2020) who report that African countries have only been able to adopt
stimulus packages worth an average of 0.8% of GDP, in comparison to an average of 8% in
developed countries. Furthermore, in the absence of a suitable social safety net, it is not feasible for
millions of Africans working in low-income jobs and the informal sector to practice social
distancing, this is therefore considered as a luxury since few could afford to practice the measures
(Noko, K. 2020). Furthermore, women in the informal sector are disproportionately impacted by
the economic consequences (Klugma, J.2020).
Lockdowns are violating the principles of rule of law, democracy, and fundamental human rights
more broadly. “Lockdowns and emergency orders have exacerbated existing risks for women in
abusive relationships, for those working without security and legal protection, for women and girls
at risk of harmful practices and discriminatory laws, as well as those in fragile humanitarian
settings” (Klugma, J.2020).
It is estimated that over 262.5 million children from pre-primary and secondary school are
currently out of school because of COVID-19 closures, which translates to approximately 21.5% of
the total population in Africa (Save the Children, 2020). For many poor and vulnerable children in
Africa, schools are not only a place for learning but also a safe space from violence and exploitation.
It is also where children have a nutritious meal sometimes the only meal for the day (Save the
Children, 2020). In addition, Save the Children (2020) pointed that prolonged school closure will
result in millions more children being denied their basic right to learn. While, UNESCO, 2020 states,
“In Sub-Saharan Africa, 89 per cent of learners do not have access to household computers, 82%
lack internet access and around 28 million learners live in locations not served by mobile networks”.
The impact of the COVID-19 crisis on conflict areas can lead to deeper crisis that can cause longer- term conflicts and inequality in particular gender inequality (Desmidt,S. & Neat,A. 2020). There are
reports of rise in gender-based violence, compounded by an economic fallout and increasing stress
on public services (Noko, K.2020). These effects risk deepening inequalities and grievances
(Desmidt,S. & Neat,A. 2020). This relates to Chergui, S. (2020) who states, Cv 19 lockdown measures