Zimbabwe arrests 40,000 people for ‘violating lockdown’

May 26, 2020
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Two journalists who’d been interviewing alleged victims of state torture are among the 40,000 people that Zimbabwean police say they’ve arrested.

Most of those people were arrested for breaking the rule on not moving more than 5km (3 miles) from their homes.

Others failed to wear masks or kept their businesses open.

Most informal trading is banned, causing great financial hardship for the millions of Zimbabweans who work in the sector.

Zimbabwe has been in lockdown since 30 March.

Official statistics show coronavirus cases remain relatively low with 56 cases recorded, 25 recoveries and four deaths.

Last week, Zimbabwe’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa extended the lockdown indefinitely warning that the country remains at risk of a spike in cases.