Midlands Provincial Affairs Minister Larry Mavima has criticised Gweru Urban MP, Brian Dube (MDC Alliance) for his claim that there are security lapses within some quarantine centres in the province.
Dube told reporters last week that the worrisome security gaps could have seen many returnees escape from the facilities, exposing communities to the novel coronavirus.
Minister Mavima dismissed the concerns, saying Dube’s utterances were unsubstantiated and will cause unnecessary alarm and despondency in the Midlands province. Said Mavima:
It’s unfortunate that Brian Dube can say such unsubstantiated facts which will cause unnecessary alarm and despondency in the province.
The places are well secured with adequate and well-equipped security details who have specific instructions not to allow any of the returnees out of the quarantine areas or to allow any visitors to the facilities.
His comments are very unfortunate and he is advised to seek the correct and accurate information from authorities before rushing to the media.
We would also invite him to have a good meal at any of the two facilities which is probably much better than what he has at his home.
Mavima revealed that the province on Sunday received 89 returnees from South Africa and Botswana and they were immediately placed under mandatory quarantine.
48 of them came from South Africa and the other 41 from Botswana and cumulatively, 358 people are now quarantined in the Midlands province at Gweru Polytechnic College and Mkoba Teachers College