Tollgate workers test Covid-19 positive

Leonard Ncube, Victoria Falls Reporter
THREE Zimbabwe National Roads Administration (Zinara) employees stationed at the Hwange Tollgate tested positive for Covid-19 following Rapid Diagnostic Testing (RDT) tests.

The trio tested positive during a routine RDT screening by Cimas health officials on Zinara employees at the tollgate located in Dinde area on Thursday last week.

Villagers who informed Chronicle about the issue said they are worried because one of the three Zinara officers shares accommodation with four police officers at the local village head’s homestead where they were offered a house to stay while on duty at the tollgate.

The trio has since been told to self-isolate at home after going for Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) tests whose results are yet to be released.

The four police officers have also been told to seek alternative accommodation and self-isolate before going for testing.

Acting Matabeleland North provincial medical director Dr Munekai Padingani said there was no need for the community to be scared as RDT results are inconclusive.

“That they tested positive on RDT does not mean they are positive. For now there is no need to conduct contact tracing because many RDT positive cases end up negative on PCR. The community may be safe for now and what we need is to do PCR tests for those involved,” he said.

A villager who spoke on condition she remained anonymous said one Zinara employee and the police officers have been staying at a village head’s homestead for “some months”.

“We are afraid that the coronavirus may have spread in the village because we have been interacting with the officers,” said the villager.

Chief Nekatambe, in whose area the tollgate is located, said he will engage the local headman over the issue.

“I am in Bulawayo and was not aware of the issue. I have to engage the headman there so that we make sure villagers are safe,” he said.

As of Monday, Matabeleland North Province had 98 confirmed cases and 33 of these were active after 62 people recovered. Three deaths have been recorded in the province, against a national death toll of 135.

A cumulative 5 308 positive cases have been recorded nationally. — @ncubeleon