THE much feared COVID-19 virus has now hit the country.
And Zimbabweans, like any other people, are understandably shaken.
Images that have been shown across the world are driving those fears.
The disease has wreaked havoc globally.
Virtually every aspect of life has been severely affected.
Since it was first discovered in China in December 2019, it has been spreading rapidly to almost every country.
Hundreds of thousands have been infected.
Many more are dying on a daily basis.
And future readings paint a bleak picture.
The projections are shocking.
They point to months of irreparable damage.
The effects, from whichever point, will be felt for many years to come.
That discussion will be up for the future.
What we are dealing with are the ravages of today.
We are battling to find ways of how we will get to the next day.
How will we survive today.
How will we navigate today.
How will we deal with the challenges that we are facing today.
And the challenges are too many to tackle.
The world is at a standstill.
Fear has become the order of the day.
Serious efforts are being made across the globe to contain the deadly virus.
WHO has since declared the virus a global pandemic.
This calls for everyone to play a role in fighting this deadly virus.
Anything that anyone can do is what is required now.
As the virus continues to spread, many vulnerable will be affected, directly or indirectly.
There will be greater demand for water.
There will be need for food.
There will be need for sanitation.
Crucially, there will be need for medicines and vaccines.
Those are the challenges we will face in future.
Certainly not in this country.
Varying emotions have been at play in the country.
Some are celebrating.
There is nothing surprising there.
There has been an inclination from that grouping for the virus to affect the country.
They want Government to be accused of not doing enough to deal with the disease.
They want the virus so dearly here so that they gain cheap political mileage.
To them, politics matters more than human life.
On the other hand, they say they are the champions of democracy and human rights.
We will not condemn them for thinking like that.
Rather, we will endorse measures that have been taken by Government to deal with the virus.
And the measures will prove to be a success.
All they need is our support as Zimbabweans.
Our political affiliations must never get in the way of what needs to be done.
This is not a certain political party’s problem.
It is a Zimbabwean problem.
It is a global problem.
The others are naturally perturbed.
They fear for their country.
They fear for their people.
They fear for their land.
And they will do anything to make sure that the virus is contained.
But this is Zimbabwe.
It depends on which side of the political divide one is perched.
But this is not the time for politicking.
We have a problem that has the potential to affect everyone.
This is a problem that calls for unity of purpose.
As such, all hands must be on the deck.
And it presents what will inevitably be a severely battered economy.
Ours has already been damaged by Western sanctions.
What we need right now are level heads.
We will beat this scourge.