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Herald Reporters

AT least 148 more people from villages in Mhondoro-Mubaira are being tested for Covid-19 after a cluster of three known cases in the area while 13 Zimbabweans returning home through Chirundu Border Post have been quarantined at Vuti Quarantine Centre in Hurungwe.

The Mhondoro samples are still being processed to determine the level of exposure of villagers who came into contact with the late Gogo Nguni nee Chitemere, who succumbed to Covid-19 last week.

Two people in the area already tested positive for Covid-19, but one had never been in contact with Gogo Nguni, so there is mass testing to try and find the source of the cluster of infections.

Mashonaland West provincial medical director, Dr Wenceslaus Nyamayaro confirmed that a significant number of samples had been collected by yesterday.

“We have collected a significant number of samples in Mhondoro-Mubaira. We first collected 75 samples and then a further 73 other samples. We now await the results.”

With very low levels of in-country transmission, the present policy is to test and quarantine all returning residents to prevent any new source of infection.

“On the border front, we have 13 people currently being held at Vuti Quarantine Centre where they will be monitored for at least seven days and released for self-isolation,” said Dr Nyamayaro.

A national quarantine centre has been established at Vuti High School in Hurungwe, to hold returning citizens coming through Chirundu and Kariba border posts. As of Monday, 10 people were being held at the centre with three others coming in yesterday, bringing the total number of people being monitored to 13.

Chairperson of the Hurungwe district Civil Protection Unit Mr Andrew Tizora said people going through screening at Chirundu and Kariba border by the port’s health unit are being taken to Vuti Quarantine Centre.

According to sources, these were people coming into the country are truck drivers, those returning from holidays and those who had travelled on business into neighbouring countries.