• As it becomes more apparent that Covid-19 will be here for a while.
Brian Rungano Temba
The Ministry of Health and Child Care has launched the Trusted Travel Platform in Zimbabwe, which they expect to ease of travel into and out of the country.
They have also compiled a list of labs recommended for Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) COVID-19 tests for those who will be traveling within the region.
This comes under a regional conformity initiative to ensure synchronization of COVID-19 screening at check in points.
The announcement was made via a public statement last week.
“The African Union, Africa CDC and other partners, working with PanaBIOS as technical leads, have introduced the Trusted Travel Initiative to support the AU member states harmonise and enhance their current health screening systems,” read the statement.
The Trusted Travel system comes with an online digital platform for the verification and authentication of the COVID-19 test results.
The platform is a result of collaborative efforts made across a network of participating COVID-19 testing laboratories and Port Health authorities.
The Trusted Travel Platform initiative not only allows allows for cross-border commerce to continue but an updated database of the COVID-19 status of the traffic that frequent the borderlines.
On the platform, accredited laboratories in Zimbabwe include;
Matebeleland South : Beitbridge District Hospital and Gwanda Provincial Hospital
Matebeleland North :Lupane Hospital and Bio Express Lab Victoria Falls
Midlands: Gweru Provincial Hospital
Masvingo :Masvingo Provincial Hospital, Collin Saunders Memorial Hospital and Gutu Mission Hospital
Mashonaland West : Chinhoyi Provincial Hospital
Mashonaland East: Marondera Provincial Hospital
Mashonaland Central: Bindura Provincial Hospital
Manicaland: Victoria Chitepo Provincial Hospital
Harare: Bio Express Labs (Pvt), CIMAS MEDLABS, Lancet Clinical Laboratories, National Microbiology Reference Laboratory, National TB Reference Laboratory, Parirenyatwa Central Hospital, Sally Mugabe Central Hospital and United Nations Clinic
Bulwayo : United Bulawayo Hospital Laboratory and Mpilo Hospital Laboratory
Chitungwiza : Chitungwiza Central Hospital
Other newly accredited laboratories canbe found by visiting the Trusted Travel Portal and creating an account at https//trustedtravel.panabios.org . To find the nearest accredited lab one has to indicate their current origin an intended destination.
The Trusted Travel Platform will be fully available for use from August 1, 2021 and as from August 7, 2021 only COVID-19 certificates obtained through the Trusted Travel Platform or verified on the Global Haven systems will be valid for exit or entry into Zimbabwe.
“Government has taken note of the growing prospect of another wave in the COVID-19 cycle in the Region. Such a wave could be worsened by the circulation of dangerous o=new variants from overseas.
Zimbabwe like most countries has tried to minimize the risk of disease importation from the onset of the Entry. However as the risk grows, so does the critical need to produce evidence of a negative COVID-19 test at the Border,” read the statement by Ministry of Health and Child Car
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