The government has shut down Lupane Rural Health Centre and Jotsholo Rural Health Centre after members of staff tested positive for COVID-19.
A total of 10 staffers tested positive at the Lupane clinic and one at Jotsholo. The clinics will be closed from 22 January to 4 February.
In a letter dated 22 January 2021 and addressed to Lupane District Development Committee (DDC), District Medical Officer George Mutizira said all staff members at both Lupane Rural Health Centre and Jotsholo Lupane Rural Health Centre are isolated and quarantined and they don’t have any more staff members to serve the clinic for the specified period. Mutizira added:
The District Health Executive is doing all that it can with limited resources to do contact tracing and manage the cases.
I take this opportunity to request for your support and the stakeholders’ support.
May I also request your Office to inform the stakeholders about this unfortunate development?
The closure of the two clinics comes as Zimbabwe’s health workers have been pleading with the government to be provided with adequate personal protective equipment.
More than 1 000 health workers have since contracted the novel coronavirus across the country since March last year.