BULAWAYO – National flag carrier Air Zimbabwe on Thursday suspended all flights, citing travel restrictions imposed by the government in response to the coronavirus global pandemic.
Air Zimbabwe said it would conduct one final flight to and from Dar es Salaam on March 28 “to assist returning residents”.
In a statement, the airline said: “In line with directives on travel restrictions issued by the government of Zimbabwe to curb person to person contact and spread of the coronavirus… all regional and domestic flights have been suspended with effect from today, March 26, 2020, until further notice.”
President Emmerson Mnangagwa announced on March 23 that Zimbabwe was closing its borders to foreigners and all human traffic save for cargo and returning residents.
Zimbabwe has announced three coronavirus cases since the virus outbreak in central China last December. One of those patients died on Monday.
Several countries in the region have shut their borders in a bid to control the spread of the disease.
South Africa, one of Air Zimbabwe’s main markets, has most coronavirus cases on the continent. President Cyril Ramaphosa on March 23 announced a 21-day national shutdown which takes effect from 12AM on Friday.
Air Zimbabwe flies to Bulawayo and Victoria Falls locally, and also plies Harare-Johannesburg and Harare-Dar es Salaam regional routes.
