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Freedom Mupanedemo Midlands Bureau

Operations at Gweru City council have been crippled amid reports that over 20 employees are down with Covid-19 and were isolated in their homes.

A council source told this publication this afternoon that the local authority was operating with a skeletal workforce with the majority of workers having tested positive to Covid-19 while others have also gone into isolation awaiting results after getting in contact with positive colleagues.

The source said the hardest hit was the fire brigade department where over 10 employees tested positive to Covid-19.

“The situation is dire at council because we have over 20 employees who tested positive and these have their contacts within the council. The situation has crippled operations at town house,” said a source who declined to be identified.

Gweru Mayor Josiah Makombe confirmed the development saying those who have tested positive were now in isolation.

“Its true that we have a number of employees who have tested positive to Covid-19 with 10 of them under our fire department,” he said.

Mayor Makombe said the health department, working with the Covid 19 district taskforce team was mornitoing the situation as well as contact tracing.

“We are monitoring the situation with help from health experts. The majority of them are in isolation at their homes.

Mayor Makombe said there were over a dozen who have also been tested and were waiting for their results.

“After some of our employees tested positive, there were a lot of their contacts whose samples were collected and are now waiting for their results,” he said.