Zimbabwe reopens airports after six-month COVID-19 suspension

Zimbabwe reopened its airports for scheduled international flights on Thursday, six months after they were closed following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Zimbabwe Civil Aviation Authority (CAAZ) said it was delighted to welcome international passengers to the country.

Three airlines were scheduled to resume international flights on Thursday, namely Fastjet, Ethiopian Airlines and Emirates.

Kenya Airways and RwandAir will resume flights to the country on Friday, CAAZ said.

“More airlines are expected to resume in the coming weeks. To ensure the safety of passengers and staff, we have introduced new health measures such as mandatory temperature control and disinfection before entering the terminal building, ”said CAAZ Acting Director General Bertha Muzangaza in a statement .

Zimbabwe requires arriving passengers to submit a negative PCR result performed within 48 hours of travel.

Those showing symptoms of COVID-19 will be tested at the airport at a cost of US $ 60.

Meanwhile, Zimbabwe’s land borders remain closed while authorities assess the feasibility of reopening them.

As of Wednesday, Zimbabwe had recorded 7,838 COVID-19 cases, 6,303 recoveries and 228 deaths.