With Zimbabwe's tourism industry reeling from Covid-19
lockdown losses, hotels and lodges have been permitted to open as luxury
quarantine centres.
Announcing the decision on Sunday, health minister Obadiah
Moyo said “guests” would be closely monitored and tested every eight days for
Covid-19.
The ministry of health and childcare, which liaised with
the ministry of tourism, vetted the facilities. The first six that were
approved last week include Bronte Hotel, a four-star facility in Harare. In
Victoria Falls, the first luxury quarantine centre was the five-star Phezulu
Lodge.
Overseas returnees have been at loggerheads with the
government for putting them in “inhumane” lockdown centres countrywide.
“We are housed with criminals and basic provisions are
lacking. If they have seen it fit for those that can afford an alternative
service to look for them, it’s a noble idea,” said a UK returnee.
According to the Herald, last week alone 23
people escaped from quarantine centres. There are fears that those who escape
or illegally return to Zimbabwe could be the source of unexplained local
infections.
“The issue of border jumping has come to our attention and
it is the duty of every resident to report such. We urge residents to notify us
whenever they receive border-jumping relatives, as anyone who comes into the
country must undergo isolation, according to law,” said Bulawayo health
services director Dr Edwin Sibanda on Sunday.
This month alone, 2,000 Zimbabweans have returned from
South Africa. Of that number, 527 are deportees - mostly criminals.
A further 2,600 have notified the Zimbabwean embassy in
Pretoria about their intention to return home, while 6,000 have said they are
in need of food aid.
The number of returnees to Zimbabwe from all over the world
stands at 4,000.
Zimbabwe has tested 35,112 people and has seen 56 positive
Covid-19 cases, 25 recoveries and four
deaths since the first case was detected on March 20.
Most of the new cases have been traced back to South Africa
and Botswana.
“Five cases tested positive for Covid-19. These include one
male returnee from Botswana who is in isolation in Gweru, three Malawian
immigrants who were intercepted by security authorities and [are] in isolation
in Beitbridge while awaiting deportation to Malawi, and one female from
Harare,” reads a government statement issued on Sunday. Times
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