Opinion / Columnist
Old habits that will kill Zimbabweans
24 Dec 2020 at 16:56hrs | Views
ZIMBABWEANS are masking, and that's good! But a look at the masks will reveal the futility of the effort.
The surgical masks which are generally made of a thin paperlike material are supposed to be disposable; meaning after a single use they should be disposed of and replaced.
But not with Zimbos!
One often sees the masks, even when properly worn, caked with dirt showing they have been used again and again. One cannot blame them though; the masks are too expensive going for USS1 each. When most cannot afford a loaf of bread how many would think of spending a dollar each day on a mask?
That would translate to USS365 a year; how many people have that kind of money?
But lots of people have gone round this problem by acquiring cloth masks; some people have made brisk business sewing and selling these. But the problem of hygiene still persists.
The cloth masks too are used repeatedly. No one has really driven home the message that the masks become dangerous if used repeatedly without washing and ironing them? But the masks are not the only things that should get us worried.
It's the habit of sharing anything we have with friends. Just move around shopping centres and see how many people drink from the same bottle of Super Chibuku!
The virus spreads through droplets of saliva; now imagine the amount of saliva the drinkers exchange? For goodness sake each one should drink from his own bottle.
It's not just the bottle that Zimbabweans share; up to three people share a single cigarette! You see a saliva-soaked cigarette filter moving from one pair of lips to another and the people don't have a care in the world.
Is this out of love or poverty? None of the above; it's out of ignorance.
Muckrakers wishes everyone a Merry Xmas.
The surgical masks which are generally made of a thin paperlike material are supposed to be disposable; meaning after a single use they should be disposed of and replaced.
But not with Zimbos!
One often sees the masks, even when properly worn, caked with dirt showing they have been used again and again. One cannot blame them though; the masks are too expensive going for USS1 each. When most cannot afford a loaf of bread how many would think of spending a dollar each day on a mask?
That would translate to USS365 a year; how many people have that kind of money?
But lots of people have gone round this problem by acquiring cloth masks; some people have made brisk business sewing and selling these. But the problem of hygiene still persists.
The cloth masks too are used repeatedly. No one has really driven home the message that the masks become dangerous if used repeatedly without washing and ironing them? But the masks are not the only things that should get us worried.
It's the habit of sharing anything we have with friends. Just move around shopping centres and see how many people drink from the same bottle of Super Chibuku!
The virus spreads through droplets of saliva; now imagine the amount of saliva the drinkers exchange? For goodness sake each one should drink from his own bottle.
It's not just the bottle that Zimbabweans share; up to three people share a single cigarette! You see a saliva-soaked cigarette filter moving from one pair of lips to another and the people don't have a care in the world.
Is this out of love or poverty? None of the above; it's out of ignorance.
Muckrakers wishes everyone a Merry Xmas.
Source - the independent
All articles and letters published on Bulawayo24 have been independently written by members of Bulawayo24's community. The views of users published on Bulawayo24 are therefore their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Bulawayo24. Bulawayo24 editors also reserve the right to edit or delete any and all comments received.
