Queues Grow As Social Distancing Fails
Queues in some parts of the country particularly in Bulawayo have continued to grow pouring sand on the COVID-19 Social distancing measures aimed at curbing the spread of COVID-19, The Chronicle reports.
Since the downgrade of the national lockdown to phase 2 which saw formal businesses resuming operations, CBDs have recorded a surge in traffic as people come back to work and other people coming for shopping. Kombies have also started operating illegally ferrying stranded commuters who cant be ferried by ZUPCO on time from one destination to another.
People are reportedly negligently and deliberately ignoring social distancing measures. The publication spoke to people in different places and a security guard at an OK Supermarket said:
I have been told in these queues that just because I have a thermometer and surgical spirit or a sanitiser does not make me a doctor or a nurse and I must stay in my lane. Mob psychology is a problem because when one person starts dressing you down as you are doing your job, others just join in and you find yourself in some big trouble. So sometimes we end up just keeping quiet and ignoring them, despite the looming danger of disease spreading if people do not maintain physical distance
A Shopper at a TM Supermarket said people were not concerned about social distancing:
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People get offended if I ask them to step back from me just a little bit. But it is not okay. At banks, a stranger wants to borrow a pen. I know it sounds mean but now is not the time to be just sharing objects. It is not safe. People would rather label me as anti-social or mean, but safety comes first
Public transport being used to ferry people into towns is also violating social distancing measures according to a commuter that spoke to the publication:
I come from Emakhandeni and we use the same bus with people from Cowdray Park. The bus is overwhelmed and we stand in the queue for hours. We arrive late at home but in that wait, there is no straight queue and there is no social distancing but you cannot think you are better than others and leave the queue because you will then never board the bus
More: The Chronicle
