Is the Bulawayo City Council (BCC) spreading Coronavirus by implementing its water shedding schedule?
Claim: The Bulawayo City Council (BCC) is causing the spread of the Coronavirus (Covid-19) by closing water supplies to Bulawayo residents for 96 hours.
Verdict False
CITE spoke to Bulawayo City Council Director of Health Services, Dr Edwin Sibanda who said the water shedding programme was not aiding the spread of Coronavirus.
“COVID-19 or corona virus does not spread through water as alleged,” said Dr Sibanda.
“Like most viruses they live within cells or human fluids and therefore if they were to be in water, the water would have to be more of human fluid that water itself.
“So the dilution effect would come in, therefore they will not survive outside the human tissue.”
Source: Disgruntled residents yesterday, March 25 2020 sent out messages to the local authority’s Twitter account stating their concern over the period in which water supplies have been cut off in the midst of the global pandemic COVID19.
One of the posts read: “Now that you have spread Coronavirus by your thoughtless move am sure your next move will be to spread cholera”
Now that you have successfully spread Corona by your thoughless move am sure your next move wil be to spread Cholera
— Frank Mzondiwa (@fmzondiwa) March 24, 2020
Background: BCC embarked on another phase of rehabilitation of the Criterion Water Treatment Plant under the Bulawayo Water and Sewerage Services Improvement Project (BWSSIP). The rehabilitation programme resulted in water supplies being cut from Saturday, 21 March 2020 to Monday 23 March 2020. However, in most residential areas by Thursday 25 March 2020, water supplies had still not been restored.
Zimbabwe has recorded 3 confirmed cases of COVID19, there are no cases which have been recorded in Bulawayo.
