Authorities in Zimbabwe have arrested more than 100,000 people since March for flaunting government-mandated safety practices to deal with the coronavirus.
The surge in arrests follows recent urging from the Meteorological Services Department for government officials to tighten lockdown restrictions as the country in the Southern Hemisphere enters its winter months.
Although only around 1,500 people have tested positive for the coronavirus in Zimbabwe, over 1,000 people were arrested in the last two days alone for “unnecessary movement” as officials struggled to enforce society-wide restrictions, such as face coverings and the limiting of social gatherings.
“We’ll be arresting all these violators,” government representative Paul Nyathi said on state television this week.
Critics of the Zimbabwean government, however, claim that the arrests are politically motivated and are being done to quiet opposition ahead of a scheduled July 31 demonstration against President Emmerson Mnangagwa.
Opposition leaders say the coronavirus lockdown has heightened economic decay in the country, and analysts expect the economy to contract by 4.5% in 2020.
Neighboring country South Africa has been an epicenter for the virus on the African continent, reporting 320,000 cases and 4,600 deaths since the outbreak began in March.
