Summary / Resumé
David Kaulemu: The Impact of the Corona Virus on Zimbabwe
The first COVID-19 cases were identified in Africa in February 2020. South Africa, Morocco and Egypt were the worst hit by the virus. In Zimbabwe the first case was recorded on 21 of March 2020. Since then, the numbers quickly rose. In the initial stages, most infections were identified on Zimbabwean returnees from South Africa, the United Kingdom, the United States of America and Dubai. Eventually Zimbabwe began to get locally transmitted cases and the numbers rose. Like many other governments in the world, Zimbabwe took lockdown measures which were first announced on 30th of March 2020. Since then, the measures have been renewed, modified by either tightening or relaxing COVID-19 regulations depending on the perception of the threat and within the WHO framework. On the 3rd of December 2021, the total number of COVID-19 cases in Zimbabwe, a country of 14,86 million people, was 137 000 and 1 707 deaths. The pandemic, as in other places in the world, has greatly and negatively affected the Zimbabwean economy, disrupted social and cultural activities as well as enhanced inequalities, poverty and other vulnerabilities especially for the already marginalized. This article discusses the impacts of COVID-19 on people’s livelihoods, education, health, politics and the economy in general. It places this discussion in the global economic and political context.