Dear Editor
Beitbridge hospital has admitted a COVID19 suspect after she tested positive this afternoon.
A tent has since been pitched for all suspected COVID19 patients to be attended and it has been located outside ordinary perimeter of the entire medical facility.
Analysts have questioned whether our medical services are doing enough to detect the infectious disease from crossing over from our neighboring nation whose statistics has reached its peak at an alarming rate.
Beitbridge border is currently the busiest inland port in the southern Africa and operates on 24hr clock, seeing goods and human movement from offshore points.
It is the commercial link between Durban port to other northern parts of the SADC region.
Zimbabwean government and its leadership has spent their effort on other less alarming programs exposing its citizens to this highly fatality and infectious disease.
Regardless, the country’s president declared the disease a national disaster, he has spent his day gathering a rally of over hundreds followers against his decree of shunning of social gathering of such numbers.
The incident depicted an arrogant leader who has nothing to raise his head up to but endure his time on futile schedules.
“Officials manning Beitbridge border are working protective masks yet their counterparts across the bridge are well safeguarded” said one border town resident.
Efforts to contact Dr L Samhere were useless as his mobile went on ringing unanswered as our investigative beaureu attempted to ascertain the status quo.
Beitbridge Resident Association president, Mr T Mahachi was quick to react to considering that the entire district was highly exposed to this pandemic disease which was yet to be curable.
“I have witnessed a few if not two health personnel practicing tests on visitors and returning residents on port of entry side but we adamantly advocate that much need to be done as the system has lope holes where some immigrant could pass without getting tested” reiterated Mr Mahachi
‘We have the most porous border line where numbers of illegal immigrants getting into our country is unbelievably high and such infection is undetected’, he added
There is need for robust action to safeguard not only Beitbridge residents but the travelers plying for northern countries, DRC and Zambia.
Sources close to the medical superintendent of Beitbridge hospital has pointed to lack of quarantine equipment and expertise in dealing with this dangerous incurable disease.
“We are not ready to deal with the quarantine exercise owing to inadequate training and equipment for COVID19” the source pointed.