Zimbabwe lockdown amid virus and anti-govt protest

Streets were empty in Zimbabwe's cities and towns on Friday, with security agents maintaining a strong presence to enforce the coronavirus lockdown and also thwart an anti-government protest. In the capital Harare, which normally would be teeming with people, the downtown area was deserted and businesses were closed.

Soldiers and police in trucks, on foot and on horseback patrolled both the city centre and the suburbs. Other security agents manned checkpoints to stop people from entering the city.  Organisers say demonstrators originally planned to protest alleged government corruption but are now targeting the country's ruling political party, ZANU-PF.

President Emmerson Mnangagwa described the planned protests as "an insurrection to overthrow our democratically elected government." Tensions are rising in Zimbabwe as the economy implodes. Inflation is more than 700 percent, the second highest in the world.