On Friday, March 20, the Zimbabwean government reported its first case of coronavirus.
Health Minister Obadiah Moyo announced on state television ZTV that the coronavirus case is a man who returned to his home in the tourist resort town of Victoria Falls from Britain last weekend.
“This is the first case of Covid-19 in Zimbabwe. The patient is a 38-year-old Caucasian man … who had travelled to Manchester in the UK on the 7th of March and returned to his home in Victoria Falls on the 15th of March via South Africa.”
According to AFP, despite the country’s public health system suffering for years from a lack of equipment and drugs, the Zimbabwean government has announced several measures to prevent the virus from spreading. These include the cancellation of public and sporting events, constraints on gatherings, and the closure of schools on Tuesday, March 24.