CORONAVIRUS COVID-19 ALLERT

Dear All,
As you know on 17 March, the Government of Zimbabwe declared the Coronavirus a national disaster, cancelling all national celebrations and international events, restricting group gatherings to a maximum of 100 people and discouraging non-essential travel out of the country. Last night, the President also confirmed the closure of schools on 24 March.
It should be noted that to date, no case of COVID-19 has been detected yet by the National Microbiology Reference Laboratory. However, given the widespread and continuous movements across Zimbabwe and its neighbouring countries, it cannot be excluded that the virus is already circulating in the population.
We remind you that on 10 March, the World Health Organization (WHO) classified the spread of COVID-19 as a pandemic and the risk of spread in Zimbabwe and the region is considered very high. As is well known, after China, Italy is the second most affected country in the world by the epidemic (41,035 cases as of March 19, 2020). The Dpcm, signed in recent days, have further strengthened the Government response against COVID-19 and extended to the entire country the urgent containment measures already adopted for some areas of the country.
In the light of the rapid evolution of the situation in Zimbabwe, we invite all of you to ensure the most punctual and constant application and dissemination of all the prevention measures indicated by the WHO and the Ministry of Health:
1. wash your hands frequently with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or with alcohol-based hand rub;
2. avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth;
3. maintain at least 1 metre distance between yourself and anyone who is coughing or sneezing;
4. covering your mouth and nose with your bent elbow or tissue when you cough or sneeze, and then dispose the used tissue immediately;
5. stay at home and go out only for strictly necessary needs;
6. in case of respiratory symptoms (fever, dry cough, sore throat, breathing difficulties), consult your doctor for a specific diagnostic procedure, if necessary, respecting the disposition to stay at home until the symptoms are completely resolved;
7. regularly clean objects and surfaces that may have been contaminated by multiple visitors with water, detergents and hypochlorite or common disinfectant.
We also urge all of you to avoid gatherings and meetings. In this regard, we point out that the Embassy has suspended sine die all meetings and socio-cultural events.
In the light of the above, we strongly advise against travel that is not strictly necessary and urgent, in particular travel between Italy and Zimbabwe.
For those arriving in Zimbabwe from Italy and other countries affected by the virus:
1. avoid contact with other people when returning home and remain in self-isolation, also from household members, at home for 14 days;
2. provide correct information about your health status during the telephone interviews that will be carried out during the 14 days of self-isolation;
3. follow carefully the instructions received from the health authorities.
For those returning to Italy from Zimbabwe or countries affected by the virus:
1. avoid contact with other people when returning home and remain in self-isolation at home for 14 days;
2. even if asymptomatic, promptly notify the competent Health Authorities of your arrival in country. You can find the regional numbers to call on the website of the Ministry of Health.
The Embassy will maintain a constant communication with all of you, through email, whatsapp and regular updates on the official website and Facebook. For constant updates on the evolution of the situation, we recommend that you consult the following websites:
– https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019
– https://www.epi-win.com/
– www.salute.gov.it/nuovocoronavirus
– http://www.viaggiaresicuri.it/home