Minister of Health and Child Care Obadiah Moyo said that the government will not shut out citizens seeking to return home from other countries during this COVID-19 crisis.
This comes after Zimbabwe’s COVID-19 cases ballooned from 63 to 160 in just three days, the majority of the cases being returnees from South Africa and Botswana. Said Moyo:
We cannot shut our citizens out as they belong here, but we want them to be responsible so that they are tested and go through screening and quarantine processes.
We cannot afford any let-ups because our health is of paramount importance. What we need to do is to ensure that we follow returning citizens everywhere until we are satisfied that they are free of the virus.
We must make sure that they don’t mix with locals when they come in.
Meanwhile, on Wednesday, Defence and War Veterans Affairs Minister Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri told Parliament that the recent influx of returnees from South Africa and Botswana have put the country under tremendous pressure.
She said the country is now incapacitated as PPEs and testing kits remain in short supply because of international competition.