Member of Parliament for Mpopoma-Pelandaba, Charles Moyo has expressed concern over the planned relocation of returnees from Bulawayo Polytechnic to Rio hostel in Matshobane saying this will expose residents to Covid-19.
This comes at a time when tertiary institutions that were serving as quarantine centres in Bulawayo will be disinfected, with returnees moved to other centres in preparation for the re-opening of schools.
Deputy Minister in the Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare, Lovemore Matuke recently told CITE that the government will make use of public service training centres as alternative quarantine centres.
Speaking to CITE, Moyo said he had been informed that Rio Hostels has been identified as one of the new quarantine centers and that he was against the idea owing to the water crisis in most high-density suburbs in the city.
Currently, Bulawayo residents are enduring a 144-hour water-shedding programme.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) says constant washing of hands with water and soap is one of the recommendations to prevent one from becoming infected with Coronavirus.
“Government is planning to move Covid-19 positives from Bulawayo Polytechnic to Rio hostel in Matshobane, I am totally against that,” Moyo claimed.
“They want to kill Mpopoma-Phelandaba residents. How on Earth can we have a quarantine centre at a residential area looking at the water situation.”
Contacted for Comment Bulawayo Provincial Social Welfare Officer, Fanwell Dzoma said he could not give information off the hand of the identified centres.
“I am not the chairperson of the subcommittee, so I cannot give any information concerning that,” said Dzama.
He had however recently told the publication that Khumalo Hotel and Insinga Youth Center had been identified as the alternative centres.
Minister of State for Bulawayo Metropolitan Judith Ncube said the returnees were being moved to pave way for examinations at tertiary institutions.
“We need to pave the way for our learners to write examinations and before they write there is a need to disinfect the centres,” said Minister Ncube.
She, however, allayed fears that the quarantine centres in residential areas could expose residents to the pandemic.
“It’s a process, not a punishment, quarantine centres are for monitoring that the returnees do not have the virus.
“Even if we place them in residential areas it doesn’t mean that they already have the virus it’s just for us to observe that they didn’t contract the virus coming to this side,” said Minister Ncube.
