The Zimbabwean government has reiterated that all returning citizens, without exception, will undergo the mandatory quarantine period as a way of preventing the spread of SARS-CoV-2, the novel coronavirus.
Citizens who return home in order to attend funerals of their loved ones, or to renew their travel documents will not be exempted from being sent to quarantine centres.
Posting on his Twitter account, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting services, Ndavaningi Nick Mangwana said:
There are a number of enquiries from bereaved foreign-based Zimbabweans wanting to bring the remains of dearly departed relatives home and attend the sending offs.
Public Health Regulations in place to protect communities are such that you can’t be exempted from being quarantined.
Mangwana also said the production of passports has been negatively affected by lockdown measures and the government is working on solutions. He said
The lockdown measures in place to protect lives affected a lot of services. One such disturbed service is the production of passports.
This has affected some of our nationals in the Diaspora seeking to renew their documents. Govt is aware of the problem and working on solutions.