The first Covid-19 case in Masvingo, a Rujeko woman travelled from Botswana in the company of her daughter who had two children and the four were staying in the same room at Masvingo Teachers` College quarantine centre it has emerged.
The details has raised fears among returnees at the centre who told The Mirror that they use the same dining hall, toilets and bathing rooms with the family exposing themselves to the deadly virus.
Addressing a press briefing today at Benjamin Burombo building Masvingo Provincial Medical Director Dr Amadeus Shamhu said the woman who is isolated at her Rujeko home, travelled from Botswana with her daughter and two grandchildren who are still at Masvingo Teachers` College.
He said the ministry is still waiting for Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test results for the three family members as well as other returnees at the same centre.
“The woman travelled from Botswana with her daughter and two grandchildren. They were staying together but results for the other three are yet to be released. There is a backlog in Bulawayo where we are sending our samples but we have since advised them to treat our samples with urgency since we want to know the status of all the people who are in our quarantine centres” said Shamhu.
Dr Shamhu added that all 278 returnees at Masvingo Teachers` College were tested on PCR and the province has only received results for less than 100 since there is a backlog at TB Reference Laboratory in Bulawayo.
“We are now living in fear here from the time we learnt from the media that one of us tested positive to Covid-19. This lady came with her daughter who has two children and they were staying in the same room. We share the dining, bathrooms and toilets with the family and after the departure of that woman, we are still mixing with the three and we think it is exposing us to the virus” said a returnee at the centre.
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