By A Correspondent- There is a panic and fear among staff at Kwekwe General Hospital and their immediate families after a nurse at the Midlands Province medical facility recently visited her COVID-19-positive husband in Portugal last month, returned home and assumed her duties at the health centre.

According to a local publication, the nurse traveled out with her son (both names withheld) and when they came back, she had contact with fellow workmates at the medical facility which handles patients from as far as Gokwe, Zhombe, Silobela and surrounding areas.

The publication says the nurse then went into self-quarantine at her home in Mbizo high-density suburb.

About 14 staff workers at the hospital got into close contact with the nurse, even though she has not tested positive for COVID-19, the daily paper reports, citing sources at the hospital.

“The problem is that now nurses are at their homes after downing tools, so there will not be any close monitoring of those who had contact with her.

“There is also no official communication about tests carried out on her to see if she could have contracted the disease when she visited Portugal,” the source said.

Zimbabwe Professional Nurses Union secretary-general Douglas Chikobvu yesterday said he would comment after getting full details about the issue.

“Kindly wait so that I personally get in touch with the nurse and discuss a few things and get back to you,” he said.

In nearby Gweru, 138 people who travelled to COVID-19 high-risk countries are under monitoring for the deadly pandemic.

Zimbabwe has so far recorded five confirmed cases of COVID-19 and one death caused by the disease, but citizens are of the view that government was understating the infection figures.

Only Health ministry officials are now allowed to comment about COVID-19 cases or reveal information about the disease to the media.-Newsday