16 February 2022
Innocent Sibonginkosi Ncube
The government of President Mnangagwa has resolved to reopen the country’s land ports of entry.
This is revealed in the first Post Cabinet Briefing of 2022.
The land borders were closed in June last year when the Covid-19 Delta Variant wrecked havoc the world over and Zimbabwe was not spared.
On September 7 last year the government reduced level 4 lockdown to level 2 restrictions for at least two weeks. The level two protocols meant that among other things, the curfew had been shortened and intercity travel was permitted, gatherings of up to 100 participants were allowed and operating hours for businesses were extended.
In December the fast transmissible Omicron Variant was discovered and before the cabinet adjourned, the government extended the lockdown and imposed stricter restrictions.
Mandatory quarantines for all travellers were imposed as rising cases Covid-19 took center stage, shooting up from as low as 90 per week to over 1000 new infections.
The stricter measures were meant to prevent the spread of the Omicron variant.
The Zimbabwe authorities also blamed the tightening Covid restrictions to growing public complacency, that at the time were believed would worsen as the festive season approached.
The rising of new infections announced the onset of the fourth wave.
As such President Emmerson Mnangagwa reimposed a curfew of between 21:00 hours to 06:00 hours.
All international travellers were required to be tested on arrival at the country’s points of entry and to quarantine at a state-designated facilities all at their own cost.
All business was required be to close by 7 pm.
The borders were to remain closed.
While countries like South Africa and Botswana relaxed border restrictions and later opened their borders for human traffic, Zimbabwe had closed her borders since the Level 4 lockdown that had been imposed in June last year.
The closure of borders and the imposed restrictions caused a lot of anxiety among the citizenry and visitors alike.
There was less visitors from down South for the festive season as per norm.
The country’s tourism industry was caught off guard. The imposed number of quarantine days fended off tourists and visitors.
No one wanted to be locked yo for 10 days before they could proceed to be with their loved ones.
General business was affected as well as reduced hours and the curfew meant many revellers were to be indoors.
Only the radical owners of bars and night clubs defied the law and continued to trade within curfew hours.
Cross border trade was drastically reduced as buses stopped ferrying passengers.
And illicit travel ensued.
While only travellers with special permission were allowed to have their passports stamped on the Zimbabwean those without special permission and were able to stamp their travel documents at our borders, they did not have any restrictions in South Africa or Botswana.
Now the borders have been officially opened and travelers can freely cross.
“The nation is advised that the fourth wave of COVID-19 fuelled by the Omicron variant was successfully managed as is reflected by the decrease in the cases.
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When Cabinet adjourned on 14 December, 2021, the country was in the midst of the fourth wave with an average of 4 014 per day, and currently the new cases average less than 1000.”
In part, the Cabinet resolved that,
“…in view of the continued decline in new cases and deaths coupled with a declining testing positivity rate that is indicating that the community transmission has gone down, all ports of entry be reopened but ensuring that all the recommended
COVID-19 prevention measures are adhered to.”
The statement further stated that all persons entering Zimbabwe must produce a valid COVID-19 PCR test taken not more than 48 hours from the time of their departure for Zimbabwe, and must be fully vaccinated.
Those who have received a booster vaccine shot have an entry advantage.
As at 14 February, 2022, the country’s cumulative COVID-19 cases stood at 231 337, with 223 603 recoveries and 5 374 deaths. The recovery rate was 96%, with 2 892 active cases having been recorded. The number of new COVID-19 infections have decline during the week under review.
Zim GBC News