HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) — Zimbabwe's police say they are banning "public gatherings" in Harare in an effort to curb a cholera outbreak that has killed 21 people.

Police spokeswoman Charity Charamba said in a statement Wednesday that the ban aims to alleviate "the continuous spread" of cholera in the capital, where the government has declared an emergency.

Zimbabwean law broadly defines a public gathering as "a public meeting or a public demonstration."

Health Minister Obadiah Moyo said Wednesday that the number of infections has risen to 3,067, up from just over 2,000 that were reported Tuesday.

Recent deaths include a school headmaster and two schoolchildren in a poor suburb that has been identified as one of the epicenters of the outbreak. Moyo said a school in the suburb has been closed.