The impact and implications of COVID-19: Reflections on the Zimbabwean society

Abstract

The article is an attempt to provide a kaleidoscopic interpretation of how social science scholarship views the socio-cultural terrain of Zimbabwe during and after the global health crisis, and the societal and business haemorrhage induced by the coronavirus (COVID-19). Built through a multi-perspective and triangulation involving a modified Delphic approach that engages archival methods involving document and literature review, content analysis and expert interpretation; the article unveils the various effects of COVID-19 on Zimbabwe. It is concluded that COVID-19 by its nature is disruptive to everyday life, restrictive to human-social relations and is an instigator to tradition, spirituality and intellectuality in the country. The challenge of the virus brings to society a deliberate consciousness that global processes and events are converging (borders are porous) while local embeddedness is being entrenched through practices like lockdowns and confinement.

African Tourism in Uncertain Times: Covid-19 Research Progress

“…Such developments have adversely affected national, regional and local economies, disrupted value chains, decreased consumer demand and intra-and inter-regional trade (Arezki et al, 2021a). The societal and business haemorrhage induced by COVID-19 as well as the hopelessness experienced by many African governments is typified by the recorded Zimbabwe experience (Chirisa et al, 2021). The businesses hardest hit by the pandemic are the continent's cohort of small, medium and micro-enterprises and informal businesses (Acquaah et al, 2021).…”

“…The implications of the pandemic for the tourism industry of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) as a whole are assessed as setting back "the gains the region had accumulated over the twenty three years of working together" (Nyaruwata and Mbasera, 2021: 10). Gender disparities in tourism employment impacts are pinpointed for the case of South Africa (Chipumuro et al, 2021). Another thread of research centres on the uneven spatial impacts of the pandemic with its most devastating ramifications experienced in tourism-dependent destinations (Rogerson and Rogerson, 2020b, 2021c, 2021d.…”

Social Media Application as a New Paradigm for Business Communication: The Role of COVID-19 Knowledge, Social Distancing, and Preventive Attitudes

“…Social media use increased during the pandemic (Zhao and Zhou, 2021 ) owing to social distancing and quarantining of the individuals to prevent the spread of infection caused by COVID-19. Previous studies have been carried out on COVID-19 from different perspectives like digital learning during the emergence of COVID-19 virus (Hasan and Bao, 2020 ; Aditya, 2021 ; Chaturvedi et al, 2021 ; Deshpande and Mhatre, 2021 ; Smith et al, 2021 ), its impact on the economies of different countries (Hasan and Bao, 2020 ; Ye et al, 2020 ; Ali et al, 2021 ; Bhattacharya and Banerjee, 2021 ; Cuschieri and Grech, 2021 ; Delbiso et al, 2021 ; Donnarumma and Pezzulo, 2021 ; Klasche, 2021 ; Mahi et al, 2021 ; Prempeh, 2021 ; Roy et al, 2021 ), its role in the global health crisis (Abdalla et al, 2021 ; Ankrah et al, 2021 ; Chaturvedi et al, 2021 ; Chirisa et al, 2021 ; Donnarumma and Pezzulo, 2021 ; Hannam-Swain and Bailey, 2021 ; Klasche, 2021 ; Prempeh, 2021 ; Sarfraz et al, 2021 ; Wang et al, 2021 ; Zhao and Zhou, 2021 ) and the worst of all its impact on the mental wellbeing of people (Ciotti et al, 2020 ; Elmer et al, 2020 ; Filipova et al, 2020 ; Lee, 2020 ; Serafini et al, 2020 ; Adom et al, 2021 ; Chaturvedi et al, 2021 ; Coupet et al, 2021 ; Das and Bhattacharyya, 2021 ; Deshpande and Mhatre, 2021 ; Hannam-Swain and Bailey, 2021 ; Kareem, 2021 ; Li and Cao, 2021 ; Pandya and Lodha, 2021 ; Saha et al, 2021 ; Tonkin and Whitaker, 2021 ; Xiong et al, 2021 ). However, understanding the role of online social media use to meet the social needs after the closure of physical social interactive places amid COVID-19 is critical (Haman, 2020 ; Jogezai et al, 2021 ).…”

Emerging SARS-CoV-2 Variants, Inequitable Vaccine Distribution, and Implications for COVID-19 Control in Sub-Saharan Africa

“…The exact reasons for this are unknown, though postulations have included efficient public health responses (including strict lockdowns and travel restrictions), the prevailing lack of long-term care facilities for the elderly, sparse populations, immunity from exposure to previously circulating coronaviruses, hot climate, and a relatively young and dynamic population [5,6]. However, the socioeconomic effects resulting from global trade disruptions and other aspects adversely impacted by the pandemic may have had far-reaching consequences on some parts of the continent [7][8][9]. Subsequent epidemic resurgences have become more damaging, with increasing morbidity and mortality also witnessed in this region.…”