Zimbabwe seizes returnees' passports to deter escape from quarantine

Zimbabwe is withholding travel documents for thousands of returning nationals, following reports that some have escaped from isolation centres.

The government says this will ensure they remain in the centres and help stop the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus.

Returnees complained that they are forced to stay at the quarantine centres for too long without being tested for coronavirus. They also say the facilities are inhabitable and they do not have adequate food supplies.

The government on Wednesday said it will ensure maximum security at the isolation centres.

“In order to curtail the prevalence of people absconding from quarantine centres, Cabinet agreed that identification or travel documents will be collected from returnees on arrival [and returned to them] at the end of the quarantine period,” Information minister Monica Mutsvangwa said.