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MAPUTO – Mozambican authorities said they have discovered falsified negative COVID-19 test results, necessary for international travel, which are sold at the country’s largest land border with South Africa.
Both countries reopened the borders for international travel on October 1 following closures imposed by restrictions from the coronavirus pandemic.
Travelers entering and leaving Mozambique are required to submit a negative coronavirus test performed less than 72 hours prior to departure.
“We will work on identification and authentication mechanisms so that test results are more reliable,” Daniel Chemane, health director for the capital Maputo, told public radio.
READ: Hundreds of Used COVID-19 Test Kits Found Dumped
A source in the Health Ministry said the government will now conduct tests and issue its own certificates for travelers planning to leave the country.
So far, coronavirus tests have been conducted only in private hospitals, most located in the capital Maputo, which is 80 kilometers from the land border.
The tests cost between $ 50 (R830) and $ 100 (R1,660), which is equivalent to the minimum monthly wage in Mozambique.
Many travelers using the Ressano Garcia land border crossing are informal traders who go to South Africa to purchase goods for resale in their home country and find the trial fees prohibitive.
