Government prepares to reopen borders.
HARARE,Zimbabwe(News of the South)-Borders like everything else in the world were closed since the Covid-19 lockdown, which was imposed 6 months ago and now the government is ready to assess if it is safe to reopen.
By Pamela Munyoro
The matter came to light during a post cabinet briefing when the Defence and War Veterans Minister who also doubles as the Covid-19 National Taskforce Chairperson Oppah Muchinguri Kashiri said they have started the process of assessing the facilities in preparation to reopen borders.
“We resolved to send a team to all ports of entry into the country to establish whether we are prepared to open up beyond just our airports. If we come up with a report which is scientific and protects Zimbabweans, we won’t hesitate to reopen the borders. I cannot give you the date until we are wholly satisfied. We will leave no stone unturned to protect our people.”
The reopening could be possible now as already South Africa and Zimbabwe have similar regulations in place of testing requirements to avoid quarantining on the other side, although the regulations are yet to be perfectly aligned.
According to assistant regional immigration officer in charge of Beitbridge, Mr Nqobile Ncube, a number of measures still need to be put in place to avoid a resurgence of Covid-19 infections in the country.
This allows and give more time to the government to thoroughly make sure that, the reopening of borders will not lead to anything disastrous later on.
In the meantime, the government resolved to keep borders closed indefinitely despite re-opening airports for international travelers as they assess the pros and cons of re-opening borders.
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