Government has advised that face masks will remain a priority in Zimbabwe despite a drop in COVID-19 infections.
Responding to a question by MDC-Alliance Senator Elias Mudzuri, who asked the minister during the question and answer session in the Senate on Thursday, Health and Child Care Minister John Mangwiro says Zimbabwe will not be swayed by events abroad to dump its policy on the compulsory wearing of face masks.
He insisted the country has its own unique approaches to combating the spread of the pandemic.
“As government, we are saying we stick to science, we want to follow science which is now there.
“We do not necessarily follow what is trending on television or on Facebook.
“We still believe and we also know that the virus is lethal; we cannot take it for granted,” he said.
Mangwiro said the country’s stance on COVID-19 was informed by the recommendations of committees within his ministry that sit weekly to assess the COVID-19 impact in the country.
The Minister said the virus spreads through the nostril and as such, the nose should always be protected through wearing masks.
He urged citizens to take vaccination seriously, adding that infections were still taking place in the country
“We definitely want to encourage people to continue putting on their masks and we do not encourage people to follow what is trending in other countries because we do not know what science they have, how much they have vaccinated their people and what else they are doing that we are not doing.
“What we are seeing is that we find it necessary that people continue to get protected against the virus,” he added.
Meanwhile, European countries and America have relaxed the COVID-19 lockdowns after administering vaccination on their citizens.