A lecturer at Kwekwe Polytechnic’s automotive department has succumbed to COVID-19-related complications, bringing the number of lecturers who have died from the virus at the institution within a month to two.
Lectures at Kwekwe Polytechnic have been suspended to prevent the coronavirus from spreading among students and members of staff.
Chairperson of the Kwekwe District Taskforce on COVID-19, Vitalis Kwashira confirmed the development saying the tutor died on Thursday. He said:
I have received the news this morning. I am reliably told that he passed on at his home in Redcliff soon after he returned from Masvingo where he was marking students’ examinations. This is a sad development indeed.
Kwashira said Kwekwe Poly has been closed and students who tested positive have been isolated at the institution.
Fifteen (15) lecturers marking Higher Education Examinations Council (HEXCO) papers at Masvingo Polytechnic College tested positive for coronavirus last week.
The development was confirmed by Masvingo Polytechnic principal Callisto Muzongondi.
Meanwhile, cases continue to surge in Kwekwe as on 2 July, 31 new cases were recorded compared to 24 the previous day.
The rate of response to vaccination by the Kwekwe residents is however worrying as 21 people were vaccinated since 10 May.
Kwekwe has been declared a COVID-19 hotspot and the city has recorded 523 cases since 10 May when it was placed under a localised lockdown.