ABSTRACT
The chapter assessed social distancing as an intervention measure against COVID-19. It examined the impact of social distancing and its implications for communities that are impeccably religious. The thesis of the chapter is that the current COVID-19 intervention measures were supposed to be implemented within the indigenous knowledge systems milieu of the locals. Using the Sankofa perspective, the chapter argued that epidemics of this nature call for the need to look at the past and present, utilising a people’s indigenous knowledge for a way forward. As a qualitative study, data were gathered through the observation and interview methods. The researcher observed people’s behaviour towards social distancing and conducted interviews with members of the communities from the Ndau people of south-eastern Zimbabwe. The data collected were thematically analysed. The study’s main finding was that social distancing, as a World Health Organization recommendation measure to prevent the spread of COVID-19, was not new from a Ndau indigenous knowledge system perspective. The chapter recommended a blend of Western and indigenous culture-driven public health approaches that take into consideration the local people’s beliefs and practices. The chapter further recommended the creation of community-based task forces headed by traditional leadership to educate the public on the need to balance Western and local interventions to increase the uptake of World Health Organization recommendations.
