The World Health Organisation (WHO) has urged people across the globe to exercise strict caution during the festive season to ensure they do not contract or spread Covid-19 as they celebrate the Christmas and New Year holidays.
The festive season is characterised by public gatherings and partying.
In Zimbabwe, for example, locals based in South Africa, Botswana, Namibia and other countries, troop back home to celebrate Christmas and New Year every year with their loved ones.
However, this year the number of people coming back home for the holidays from across borders is likely to drop owing Covid-19 regulations travellers have to comply with to be allowed passage at the ports of entry and exit.
In his recent briefing, WHO director-general, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said if people were not careful, their celebration could not be turned into mourning.
“The festive season is a time to relax and to celebrate – but we must not relax our guard,” warned Ghebreyesus.
“Celebration can very quickly turn to mourning if we fail to take the right precautions.
As you prepare to celebrate over the coming weeks, please consider your plans carefully. If you live in an area with high transmission, please take every precaution to keep yourself and others safe.”
He added: “That could be the best gift you could give – the gift of health, life, love, joy and hope.”
Zimbabwe has so far recorded 11, 246 positive cases of the pandemic of which 9, 451 are recoveries with 307 fatalities.
Worldwide, over 72 million have contracted the disease of which more than 47 million are recoveries while deaths stand at over 1, 6 million.
It is now a year since Covid-19 broke out in China and the world is yet to put the pandemic under control.
