COVID-19 in Zimbabwe

According to the United States Embassy in Harare, Zimbabwe had 123,320 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 4,320 deaths as of August 24. People must wear face masks in public and observe social distancing, defined as keeping a distance of at least one meter from any other individual.

Photo showing line of local people waiting to be vaccinated for COVID-19 at St. Albert's Mission Hospital, 23 August 2021
St. Albert’s Mission Hospital, Zimbabwe. Line of people waiting outside the gate to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, 23 August 2021. The vaccines have varying availability. They are the Chinese Sinovac and Sinopharm vaccines and the Johnson & Johnson vaccine from the USA. Photo courtesy of St. Albert’s Mission Hospital.

On June 29, 2021, the Government of Zimbabwe announced the following, stricter COVID prevention measures:

  • Travelers arriving to Zimbabwe from countries with the Alpha variant (previously known as the UK variant ) and Delta variant (previously known as the India variant) of COVID-19, or those who transited such countries en route to Zimbabwe, will be quarantined at government appointed facilities at the traveler’s expense. These travelers will be tested for COVID-19 on the first, third, fifth, and tenth days at the traveler’s expense. To date, the Government of Zimbabwe has not specified which countries will fall into this category.
  • Businesses are to be open from 8AM to 3:30PM only.
  • A curfew is in place from 6:30PM to 6AM.
  • Businesses are to operate at a maximum of 25% of staff on site, with the rest teleworking.
  • Travel between cities is suspended, except travel that supports food and medicine production.
  • Restaurants are closed for eat-in service, but may serve take-away customers until 3:30PM.
  • Hotel and lodge restaurants may offer dine-in service to residents of the hotel or lodge only.
  • Beer halls and night clubs are closed.
  • All gatherings, except funerals with 30 or fewer attendees, are banned.