THE ZIMBABWE
PEACE PROJECT
EDUCATION & SCHOOLS OPENING
Since schools reopened in October, government has failed to provide adequate COVID-19 PPE in schools, and
has not effected a strict monitoring process to assess if there is adherence to protocols in schools. While has
appealed to schools to approach the education ministry about provision of PPE a large number of learners risk
contracting the virus as they are going to school without masks. Almost 300 students have tested positive for
COVID-19 since the resumption of classes and COVID-19 cases have taken a sharp rise since then.
For schools that require COVID-19 test certificates, there is no standard, and government should utilize its
countrywide health institutions as centres for testing so that there is a standard certificate that can be used.
In addition to that, the standoff between teachers and government has made the situation worse. Schools have
not operated at full capacity since October.
ZPP urges government to prioritise the education sector and avail resources to ensure that learners attend
lessons in a safe environment.
REOPENING OF BORDERS
Starting December, Zimbabwe opened land borders to the public. ZPP continues to receive reports that there
is confusion over clearance letters at the ports of entry. This is because while travelers are required to get
tested for COVID-19 before travelling, there is no standard clearance letter such that some are using fake
letters, adding more risk of heightened infections.
On 4 December, it was reported that about 300 Zimbabweans were left stranded at the borders of South Africa
and Botswana, after officials blocked entry points, citing that the people did not have credible COVID-19 test
certificates.
It costs US$60.00 to get a COVID-19 test in Zimbabwe, an amount that is out of reach for the many
Zimbabweans who use land borders for their small scale buying and selling businesses. As a result, many are
resorting to backyard methods, and only this weekend police arrested two people and confiscated more than
300 blank stamped COVID-19 certificates, raising fears this phenomenon could result in increased infections.
ZPP calls on government to make the testing affordable by subsidizing institutions and they should also
regularize and standardize the testing so that the ports of entry do not become the sources of new infections.
ZPP further urges government to strengthen its COVID-19 Experts Advisory Committee so that experts have
more leverage to make evidence based and technically correct decisions. This will help eliminate the
politicization of the management of COVID-19.
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