Zimbabwe Closes Consulate In Johannesburg as more officials contract Covid-19

The number of confirmed Covid-19 cases in Zimbabwe reached 512 yesterday, although 438 of these are among returning residents in quarantine with only 74 people being infected within Zimbabwe, including the two latest confirmed yesterday.

The Ministry of Health and Child Care announced 23 new positive cases yesterday with 21 among returnees in official quarantine and two within the community, with both of them contacts of known confirmed cases.

So far 63 347 Covid-19 tests have been done in Zimbabwe, counting both the rapid screening tests and the diagnostic PCR tests. The death toll remains at six.

After yesterday’s meeting of the ad hoc Inter-ministerial Taskforce on Covid-19, the Government confirmed that filling stations, as a defined essential service, can remain open and sell fuel during the hours for which they were originally licensed and are not obliged to close at 4.30pm.

At the same briefing yesterday Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister Monica Mutsvangwa said the Zimbabwean Consulate in Johannesburg had been temporarily closed after two more officials were confirmed positive for Covid-19.

Regarding the transport subsector, particularly at a time fuel supplies are inconsistent countrywide with long queues becoming the order of the day at most filling stations, Minister Mutsvangwa clarified the legal position in terms of operating hours for fuel retailers.

“Following reports on erratic hours of operation by some fuel retail outlets, the Attorney-General has clarified that fuel retail outlets are classified as an essential service under the lockdown regulations,” she said, adding:

“As such, retail outlets are allowed to conduct trade during their normal hours of operation. Their hours of operation are not confined to 8am to 4.30pm which applies to some other exempted categories of business.”

The temporary closure of the Johannesburg consulate comes after two more cases among staff, bringing the total to six for staff and their families.

Minister Mutsvangwa said the infected officials “had been to Limpopo and Lindela Detention Centre to screen and assist Zimbabweans who were being repatriated home”.

To mitigate exposure of officials through contact with citizens seeking consular services, the consulate is now offering most of its services online.

state media