Zimbabweans mostly heeded the government’s call to stay at home as the country embarked on a 21-day lockdown to contain the spread of the dreaded coronavirus.
The central business district of the capital Harare looked like a ghost town on Monday, with very few people roaming the streets while most businesses heeded a call by President Emmerson Mnangagwa to remain at home from March 30 to April 19.
Only a handful of street vendors were observed here and there, although they were quickly dispersed by the police.
The situation was the same in other major cities and town across the southern African country, according to eye witnesses.
Under the lockdown, the government has imposed restrictions on non-essential movements for the next three weeks.
All shops are expected to remain closed during the lockdown except for supermarkets, fuel stations and outlets for liquid petroleum gas.
Special dispensations have also been given to providers of essential services such as health workers, the security personnel as well as those involved in the movement of goods and provision of key utilities like power and water.
No privately owned commuter taxis or long-distance buses are allowed on the roads until the end of the lockdown, with only the state-run Zimbabwe United Passenger Company allowed to carry mostly those who work in the exempted sectors.
Officially Zimbabwe has so far registered five cases of coronavirus, a virus that has devastated the world to a standstill and causes the COVID-19 disease.
JN/APA