Borders, airports Covid-19 screening measures tightened

Nqobile Tshili, Chronicle Reporter
GOVERNMENT has tightened Covid-19 screening measures at the country’s borders and airports and has called on members of the public to avoid unnecessary festive season travelling as part of measures to curb the spread of the pandemic.

The country has been hit by the Covid-19 fourth wave which has seen a sharp increase in new infections.

The world is battling the Omicron variant described as a variant of concern by the World Health Organisation (WHO) due to its high infection rate.

The number of weekly recorded cases reached 28 904 for the week-ending Tuesday compared to 5 055 cases the previous week.

An average of 4 014 new cases were reported per day during the week under review compared to 723 cases the previous week.

Health experts who have expressed concern at the spike in new cases, have urged members of the public to avoid unnecessary travel as part of measures to minimise exposure to the pandemic.

The country witnessed another spike in cases last December which resulted in a number of deaths.

In a directive to all Provincial Medical Directors (PMD) dated December 13, Health and Child Care Permanent Secretary Air Commodore( retired) Dr Jasper Chimedza said all provinces should ensure that they enforce the recent law to test travellers upon arrival at entry points and quarantine them.

“Following the gazetting of Statutory Instrument 267 of 2021 the Ministry of Health and Child Care needs to implement the Covid-19 PCR testing of all travellers at the port of entry.

It is against this background that all provinces are supposed to set up Rapid Response Teams at the Port of Entry to collect samples and transport them to the nearest Government laboratories,” said Dr Chimedza.

“All travellers will not be held at the Ports of Entry to wait for results but will provide details for onward transmission. All travellers will proceed to designated quarantine centres after all sample collection.

All travellers with the results from laboratories that do not appear on the African Union COLTEP platforms shall be held at the airport for isolation purposes.”

Bulawayo PMD Dr Maphios Siamuchembu said they have started implementing the new measures at Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo International Airport although they are facing teething challenges.

“We have started to implement it although there are some logistical challenges that we are working on.

The biggest challenge is the resources of places to quarantine people.

I just don’t have places to quarantine people who need to be quarantined.

“Also, in terms of testing we are doing the PCR, it is taking a bit longer as we rely on the one at Mpilo Central Hospital.

But the Permanent Secretary has given the directive so we are obliged to follow the directive despite the challenges,” said Dr Siamuchembu.

His counterpart in Matabeleland North Dr Admire Kuretu said they had just received the directive and were working on modalities of implementing the new measures.

“We have been testing so it’s not something new but maybe the difference is that now we have to get samples and go to Government hospitals where there are labs and the returnees go into quarantine,” said Dr Kuretu.

He said while holidays will always be there, the same cannot be said of lives.

On Tuesday, Government suspended all face-to-face meetings at all its departments with end-of-year planning and other critical meetings set to be held virtually in an effort to contain a fourth wave driven by the new Covid-19 variant, Omicron.

Areas that recorded significant numbers of new infections include Harare with 8 363 cases, Mashonaland East (3 546), Mashonaland West (2 992) and Bulawayo (2 670).

The total number of new confirmed Covid-19 cases reported through the school surveillance system increased to 1 526 compared to 1 086 the previous week. There were no deaths reported.

In her post-Cabinet briefing yesterday, Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister Monica Mutsvangwa urged communities at all levels to remain vigilant and to continue adhering to Covid-19 prevention measures.

“In view of the marked increase in the recorded number of daily new cases, the public is advised that the following measures have been agreed to: all Government departments will stop face-to-face meetings and all the remaining end of year planning and other such critical meetings shall be held virtually,” she said. – @nqotshili.