BULAWAYO – Organisers of the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair say children under 18 years of age will be barred from this year’s event over Covid-19 concerns.
The business exhibition will run from September 21 to 24.
The Zimbabwe International Trade Fair Company also announced that public days had been reduced to just one.
ZITF board chairman Busisa Moyo told a news conference on Tuesday: “No children under 18 will be allowed. We think that adults will self-manage better than children and so we want to avoid any mishaps with children under the age of 18.
“There will be an onsite medical service facility for the provision of medical support and case management if a participant exhibits any Covid-19 symptoms.”
He said strong measures to curb the spread of the virus will include “Covid-19 police” who will monitor compliance with regulations. Exhibitors are expected to produce a Covid-19 negative certificate. Moyo urged all participants to take the Covid-19 vaccine so that by the time the exhibition opens they would have received at least one jab.
“All exhibitors, vendors, service providers and conference delegates will be required to produce a negative Covid-19 test result (PCR or Antigen) taken 48 hours from the beginning of the show. One day visitors do not need to take a test as they will spend limited time at the show and will be under close monitoring by Covid-19 police,” he said.
This year’s fair, already postponed three times since April, has been hugely affected by Covid-19 which resulted in a number of local exhibitors withdrawing. From 486 bookings, the number of exhibitors has dropped to 357. Foreign exhibitors fell from 17 countries to 10, Moyo said.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa will officially open this year’s fair.
