Frontline health workers set up safety shield against COVID-19

Across the Mediterranean, Soman Mudariki, who works at Wilkins Hospital in Harare, is among Zimbabwe's frontline medical workers who are risking their lives to care for the sick.

Two weeks after the coronavirus pandemic reached the landlocked country in southern Africa, Mudariki tested four confirmed cases.

He said never before has his family been as worried about his safety at work.

"My son and daughter are not at ease. They keep asking questions and want to understand how dangerous coronavirus really is," Mudariki said, adding that his family has remained a strong pillar of support.

After reporting its first case on March 20, Zimbabwe has recorded 31 cases to date. The government has extended the country's lockdown by a further two weeks to May 3.

With the virus not sparing anyone in its path, Mudariki knows the importance of medical workers being properly equipped when tending to patients.

"It is a hot zone that we are working in and it requires a meticulous process, from donning, doffing, to testing patients. The process needs to be thorough to make sure you do not carry the virus to other patients or workmates," said Mudariki.

Nurses are also exposed to these risks. Among them is Cynthia Shatei, leader of the Zimbabwe Young Nurses' Association.

"We value the sanctity of human life, but at times we fear for our dear life because the monster (COVID-19) is real. We believe that nursing is a calling, so we had to step in as nurses," she told the state-run Sunday Mail newspaper.

Shatei said her efforts against the virus were motivated by patriotism, while the disease needs to be confronted head-on for the common good.