Zimbabwe reopens airports after 6-month suspension

Zimbabwe reopened its airports for international scheduled flights on Thursday, six months after they were closed following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, reported Xinhua.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe (CAAZ) said it was thrilled to welcome back international passengers into the country.

Three airlines were scheduled to resume international flights on Thursday, namely Fastjet, Ethiopian Airlines and Emirates.

Kenya Airways and RwandAir will resume flights into the country on Friday, CAAZ said.

"More airlines are scheduled to resume in the coming weeks. In ensuring the safety of passengers and staff, we have introduced new health measures such as mandatory temperature screening and sanitization before entering the terminal building," CAAZ acting director-general Bertha Muzangaza said in a statement.

Zimbabwe is requiring passengers arriving into the country to produce a negative PCR result conducted within 48 hours prior to travel.

Those showing symptoms of COVID-19 will be tested at the airport at a cost of 60 U.S. dollars.

Meanwhile, Zimbabwe's land borders remain closed while authorities assess the feasibility of reopening them.

As of Wednesday, Zimbabwe had recorded 7,838 COVID-19 cases, 6,303 recoveries and 228 deaths.