The resort town of Victoria Falls was left in panic mode on Monday after a group of 42 tourists from 11 different countries arrived aboard a Rovos Train, heightening fears of the spread of the deadly Covid-19 (coronavirus) which has shaken Zimbabwe in the past few days.
Puzzlingly, the tourists comprising of nine British nationals, eight Australians, nine South Africans, four Germans, three Swizz, and two each from USA, Malta, and Netherlands while one each from Sweden, New Zealand and Ireland, did not wear protective masks.
The luxury Rovis train which the foreign nationals were aboard was coming from Tanzania.
It booked at Victoria Falls Hotel and had about 20 handlers drawn from South Africa and Botswana.
This occured on the same day President Emmerson Mnangagwa tightened travel restrictions and reviewed interdicted public gatherings from 100 to just 50.
A tourism industry player who spoke to the Bulawayo-based Chronicle said:
“It’s better to lose business than to put everyone at risk. If we can temporarily close borders then we know we can defeat the virus and reopen than to expose ourselves”.
State Media