Sindiso Mhlophe
SENIOR STAFF WRITER
[email protected]

INFORMATION minister Monica Mutsvangwa yesterday revealed that Cabinet has relaxed the coronavirus (Covid-19) mitigation measures and approved the re-opening of safari operations for local hunting and for restaurants to serve sit-in meals at 50 percent of their capacity.

This comes as President Emmerson Mnangagwa recently announced that the country would continue on level two of the national lockdown introduced to mitigate the spread of the deadly virus, while further relaxing the regulatory measures to allow informal businesses to operate on registering with relevant authorities.

“In the tourism and hospitality sector, requests for variations of operating conditions in respect of restaurant operators and to re-open safari operations for local hunting only and national parks were granted. Restaurants will now be allowed to serve sit-in meals at 50 percent of the restaurant’s sitting capacity,” Mutsvangwa told journalists during a post-Cabinet media briefing in Harare yesterday.

Mutsvangwa further said Cabinet had agreed that all those who test positive from both private and public quarantine centres be moved to an identified isolation centre as a matter of urgency to prevent further spread of the pandemic.

This comes as the country’s confirmed Covid-19 cases have risen to 567 with 474 being imported cases from South Africa, Botswana and the UK, while 77 are local.

“Pertaining to reproductive, maternal, neonatal, child and adolescent health, government has put in place measures to support mothers.

“These measures include the following; allocation of designated Zupco buses for the affected health workers, provision of appropriate Personal Protective Equipment for maternity, child and reproductive health services, inclusive of community health workers and strengthening of support system to enable health workers in maternity wards and theatres to work full shifts,” Mutsvangwa said.

She added that government was also targeting Covid-19 hotspots including illegal border crossing points, fuel queues and informal sector areas of operation, to mitigate the spread of the virus.

“Covid-19 hotspots such as the informal sector and some business owners require a firm hand when it comes to enforcing adherence to lockdown measures such as the proper wearing of masks and washing or sanitising hands.

“Returnees are also being issued with Covid-19 booklets in languages of their choice upon admission into quarantine facilities as part of an awareness programme to contain the spread of the disease in the facilities,” Mutsvangwa said.