Zimpapers Logo

Leonard Ncube, Victoria Falls Reporter

PLAYERS in the tourism industry want to be prioritised in the first phase of the Covid-19 vaccination programme.

Zimbabwe started rolling out a national vaccination programme in all provinces this week with priority being given to frontline workers in line with the country’s Covid-19 roll-out plan.

The phased roll-out plan is such that frontline workers in the health sector, Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (Zimra), immigration and those in the security will receive the first Covid-19 vaccine jabs.

Other sectors of the economy are expected to follow in the ensuing phases until everyone is vaccinated as the country targets to inoculate 10 million citizens.

However, those in the tourism industry feel they should have been included in the first phase as their workers are at high risk of contracting the coronavirus due to the nature of contact with various kinds of people.

Hospitality Association of Zimbabwe (HAZ) Victoria Falls chapter chair, Mr Anald Musonza, said inoculating the tourism sector has far reaching benefits as this would build confidence in tourists to visit Zimbabwe.

“Tourism should also be prioritised in this initial stage of vaccination for a number of reasons. As much as the port entry people have been included over and above health workers, I feel that the people going through those ports of entry spend much time in hotels and lodges being looked after by people who work in the hospitality industry who, therefore, need to be vaccinated to give these people assurance,” he said.

“Equally, the same tourism and hospitality industry should be prioritised at this stage as well as the media because of the nature of the jobs and contact with people,” said Mr Musonza in an interview.

In an interview soon after getting vaccinated at Victoria Falls Hospital, Hwange District Medical Officer, Dr Fungayi Mvura Musinami, reiterated that the vaccination programme was a phased programme.

“Yes, we can say everyone is on the frontline when it comes to Covid-19 and potentially exposed but as we roll out a programme such as this one, we have to balance the resources that we have,” he said.

“As much as it is our desire that we avail the vaccine to everyone, we cannot start with everyone unfortunately because resources don’t permit but eventually everyone will hopefully have access to the vaccine because they are in a way front-liners.

“We understand that those in the tourism industry are in a community and they interact with visitors as they come in. This is a stepwise and we are not ending here. This is where we are starting and we will progress with everyone.”

A medical doctor, Dr Michael Nyakura, who also go his jab at the same hospital said the tourism industry contributes a lot to the country’s Gross Domestic Product hence reducing Covid-19 cases will have economic gains.

The tourism industry was one of the hardest hit economic sectors as hotels and tour operators were forced to close down with some terminating contracts of workers.

-@ncubeleon