At least 182 Zimbabweans aboard a cruise ship have docked
in Namibia and will come home once suitable transport arrangements are made.
The returnees are coming back home amid rising numbers of
Covid-19 positive cases which have now reached 149 after 17 more people tested
positive yesterday. The cumulative number of tests done is now 40 847 with 28
recoveries and four deaths.
Foreign Affairs and International Trade Minister Sibusiso
Moyo said Zimbabwe’s embassy in Namibia was liaising with the Namibian
Government to organise the return home of the Zimbabweans.
“There are 182 Zimbabweans in the ship and it was meant to
be docking yesterday (Wednesday) or today (yesterday). The owners are from the
United States and are pursuing options to get them here,” Minister Moyo said.
Earlier at State House President Mnangagwa had acknowledged
the presence of the Zimbabweans on the ship while receiving donations from
several organisations to help fight the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The President said the returning citizens would be welcomed
home but would all have to undergo quarantine and testing measures recommended
by the World Health Organisation, before they finally joined their families.
He said the Zimbabweans were coming from a number of
countries, with even Iceland listed.
“Because they are Zimbabweans, they are our people. We will
welcome them. They are our citizens. We need to receive them.”
Zimbabwean citizens residing or working in various places
across the world are returning following the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic
and the subsequent lockdowns. While most are returning from South Africa,
Botswana and the United Kingdom, there are others who have to make more complex
journeys and travel arrangements across numerous national lockdowns to come
home.
“We need to ensure that as they come back home they adhere
to the regulations, the processes, the guidelines set by WHO,” said the
President.
Upon their arrival, returning citizens and residents stay
at a quarantine centre as near to their hometown as possible. They are tested
on the first and eighth days. If the tests are both negative they are then
allowed home where they must stay until the mandatory 21-day quarantine period
is finished and they can be certified as non-infectious.
If a test shows that they are infected, then they move to
an isolation hospital for treatment until they are better and no longer
infectious.
As of yesterday the country had recorded 132 patients, with
the overwhelming majority being identified in quarantine centres and only a few
being infected within the country, showing the effectiveness of the quarantine
system.
Most of the people housed in those centres were coming from
South Africa and Botswana.
Prior to these remarks, President Mnangagwa had received
goods from several organisations to fight the pandemic. Vice Presidents
Chiwenga and Mohadi and senior Government officials attended the ceremony.
Dalaglio Mining Group donated 30 tonnes of roller meal and
500 blankets through its chief finance officer Mr Joseph Crnkovic. The company
operates Peakstone Peerless Mine in Chegutu and Eureka Gold Mine in Guruve.
The company has invested US$19 million out of the US$50
million budgeted for this year and expects to produce over 2 400kg of gold a
year when fully operational.
“We are committed to this investment and we believe in your
Vision 2030 of making this country a middle income economy by 2030,” he said.
The company is giving food hampers to their employees and
surrounding communities.
The Zimbabwe National Water Authority gave six tonnes of
roller meal, six tonnes of salt, 600 litres of cooking oil, 3 000 bars of
washing soap and 600 cases of mineral water.
The insurance and pensions industry said they had
contributed $100 million in initiatives that include free $20 million life
cover for frontline workers and provision of personal protective equipment and
funding for universities to produce sanitisers and protective equipment.
Telecel Zimbabwe said its platforms had been used to raise
awareness campaigns, including toll-free numbers to enable people access
information about the disease. The company provided 12 fixed cellular lines
within the Covid-19 call centre.
The Zimbabwe Diaspora Fund Raising Campaign UK donated
sanitisers and face masks and $500 000.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints donated 5
000 tonnes of maize.
CBZ Holdings donated 5 000 litres of sanitisers and $6
million that will go towards the refurbishment of St Anne’s Hospital in Harare,
which is being done in partnership with Solidarity Trust, and an ambulance.
Amandiyi Group donated 3 000 tonnes of roller meal, 600kg
each of rice, salt and flour, 300kg of soya chunks and 600 litres of cooking
oil. President Mnangagwa thanked them all for their gifts.
“May I express my deep appreciation as Government to the
communities you represent. This is demonstrative of the compassion our people
have for one another.
“I am happy that despite the challenges we face, upon
appeal to our people here in Zimbabwe and abroad, the response has been
overwhelming,” he said.
He said Africa had been spared the devastating effects of
the disease but had to remain on guard because the infection rates had not
peaked. The President added that schools would remain closed until it was safe
to re-open, saying preservation of pupils’ lives was on top of his priorities.
Herald
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