This comes as many Zimbabweans are now returning from
neighbouring countries, such as South Africa and Botswana, due to the current
Covid-19 pandemic which has ravaged the whole world.
In an interview with the Daily News yesterday, Labour and
Social Welfare deputy minister Lovemore Matuke said the number of returnees was
increasing and as a result the government was appealing for more donations in
the form of food and other necessities to cater for them.
“The high number of returnees are straining us in terms of
resources. However, it is our responsibility as the government to look after
our people who are coming from outside the country. We are trying our best to
look after our people.
“We are operating on very limited resources as you know
that our economy is facing challenges. We continue to receive donations so that
we will support our people coming outside the country.
“So far we have received around 3 000 people,” Matuke said.
Permanent secretary in the Information ministry Nick
Mangwana said quarantine facilities were being overwhelmed by the returnees.
“As more citizens return from countries within the region,
the government will make it its business to accommodate them in decent
facilities, with minimal inconveniences experienced.
“The large numbers of returning citizens may result in
stretched resources and facilities. Please bear with us.
“Government seeks to decongest overwhelmed quarantined
facilities. Whilst government is doing its best to ensure that everyone is fed
and have their daily supplies, including toiletries, partners will also make a
difference,” Mangwana wrote on his Twitter account.
Returnees arriving in the country are subjected to a 21-day
mandatory quarantine in line with World Health Organisation (WHO)
recommendations.
Mandatory quarantine is meant to slow down the spread of
Covid-19 by ensuring that those entering the country are virus-free.
Where one tests positive to the respiratory disease, they
are sent to an isolation centre and if negative, they are released to be united
with their families.
In quarantine centres the government provides food for all
returnees.
This comes as Zimbabwe is facing an acute food crisis with
the southern African country battling massive shortages of grain, which have
hit hard the supplies of the staple maize meal across the country.
In February, President Emmerson Mnangagwa revealed that
Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni offered to supply grain to the country.
To date, Zimbabwe has 36 confirmed cases of Covid-19,
including four deaths and nine recoveries. Daily News
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