THE government has given filling stations the green light to operate around the clock in a bid to ease the shortage of the commodity in the country.

In a statement last night, Information minister Monica Mutsvangwa said the national taskforce on Covid-19 agreed that service stations must not be treated like other entities.

“Following reports on erratic hours of operation by some fuel retail outlets, the Attorney General has clarified that fuel retail outlets are classified as an essential service under the lockdown regulations. As such, retail outlets are allowed to conduct trade during their normal hours of operation. Their hours of operation are not confined to 8am to 4.30pm which applies to some other exempted categories of business,” the statement reads.

Turning to another issue, Mutsvangwa said the country has started the use of dexamethasone after the United Kingdom (UK) found it had life-saving potential for critically-ill coronavirus patients.

The government would soon provide loans for Zimbabweans abroad who want to return home, adding that the security forces will continue to tighten screws on people who want to violate lockdown rules. She added that the government continues to facilitate the repatriation of Zimbabwean citizens in South Africa from the 2 600 who initially registered to return home.