More returnees coming home Vice President Kembo Mohadi speaks to Midlands State University lead chemist Gift Mehlana during a tour of the institution’s chemical technology department in Gweru yesterday. — Picture: Patrick Chitumba

Patrick Chitumba

Midlands Bureau Chief

Thousands of Zimbabweans who were stranded in China, the United States and in neighbouring countries such as South Africa due to Covid-19 lockdowns have registered with the Government to be repatriated as quickly as possible, Vice President Kembo Mohadi has said.

Vice President Mohadi, who is the chairman of the Inter-Ministerial Taskforce on Covid-19, told the Midlands province Covid-19 provincial taskforce at the Zanu PF Winery Conference Centre in Gweru yesterday that Government will assist in repatriating Zimbabweans that want to come back home.

“Some are stranded in China, United States and want to come back. In South Africa we have received over 2 200 who have registered with our embassy to come back home and yes they are coming home,” said Vice President Mohadi.

“The greatest challenge we have is that of returning residents, those coming from South Africa, Botswana and all over the world. On Tuesday, we received about 281 Zimbabweans who were in cruise ships in Miami in the United States and we have been receiving such kinds of people from all over the world.”

Vice President Mohadi said the country was putting in place mechanisms to receive all returnees without them passing on the virus to other people in the country as they were coming from Covid-19 epicentres.

“Our people are coming from epicentres of Covid-19, America is hard hit, UK is hard hit, China is hard hit,” he said.

“So, we had initially converted our schools and colleges into quarantines and isolation centres and with them opening now, we have a problem of where to house them.

“We are even receiving convicts by the way, and they are unruly, so I am told. Some of the schools they were quarantined have complained of vandalism.”

Vice President Mohadi said to date, 171 returning residents had escaped from quarantine centres across the country.

“I think 171 have absconded and only 30 accounted for,” he said.

“When they abscond, they go and mingle with other people in communities and if they are positive, there is higher risk of them infecting others.

“The PMD (Dr Reginald Mhene) said they are sending samples to either Harare or Bulawayo and that takes time. If it takes time like that, people start to abscond, people know that they are supposed to be there for 21 days and when time expires, obviously they are tempted to abscond.

“I am not saying they must do that. People need to know that if they abscond, they are killing other people. So, this is one of the greatest challenges we have.

“Our brothers and sisters in Botswana and South Africa haven’t been assisting us because sometimes we find buses with 200 people at the same time at the border and we have to look for transport, accommodation.

“So, we need alternative accommodation for these people.”

Vice President Mohadi said Government adopted classifying the returning residents according to provinces and putting them into buses to their respective provinces.

He said the Government had to rope in medical personnel from the uniformed forces after it became clear that the Ministry of Health and Child Care was getting overwhelmed.

Vice President Mohadi toured Gweru Provincial Hospital, the Infectious Disease Hospital in Ascot and Midlands State University Incubation Hub.

You Might Also Like

Comments

Take our Survey

We value your opinion! Take a moment to complete our survey