Harare, (New Ziana) – A mining firm based in Hwange has become the latest to be hit by the ravaging Covid-19 pandemic after 25 employees tested positive, the Ministry of Health and Child Care said on Saturday.

The cases, accounted for the 46 new cases that Zimbabwe recorded in the past two days, to take the country’s overall tally of confirmed infection cases to 38 064.

“The 18 cases from Matabeleland North are all from a mining company in Hwange and the outbreak is localised,” the health ministry said, without identifying the firm.

Amid fears of a potential third wave, the country has in the past two weeks seen a trend of institutions, especially schools recording high cases of infections.

Most of the cases have however been mild and were immediately contained.

The new cases come as President Emmerson Mnangagwa has appealed to schools and businesses to continue following laid down Covid-19 protocols to avoid the spread of the virus.

Government last month re-opened the economy after a hard lockdown that was aimed at containing the spread of the killer respiratory disease, which has since last March claimed 1 556 lives.

Mining companies were however not affected by the lockdown as they were designated essential services and were allowed to continue operating.

Zimbabwe is already undertaking a Covid-19 vaccination programme since mid-February and slightly over 300 000 have so far been inoculated.
New Ziana