Over 200,000 People Return To Zimbabwe From States Hit By Coronavirus Pandemic - IOM

Over 200,000 People Return to Zimbabwe From States Hit By Coronavirus Pandemic - IOM

More than 200,000 people have returned back to Zimbabwe in the past year due to the economic decline as a result of the coronavirus pandemic measures in countries where they worked, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said in a release on Tuesday

UNITED NATIONS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 20th April, 2021) More than 200,000 people have returned back to Zimbabwe in the past year due to the economic decline as a result of the coronavirus pandemic measures in countries where they worked, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said in a release on Tuesday.

"More than 200,000 Zimbabweans have returned home over the past year due to the economic fallout from COVID-19 in countries where they had been working," the release said.

The number of returnees has exceeded expectations underscoring the scale of the impact the novel coronavirus pandemic had in the past year, including financial challenges, hunger and loss of accommodation, lack of access to medical assistance, mental health support and the risk of assault, the release said.

Some of the returnees do not have valid coronavirus test certificates and as a result are sent to quarantine centers, the release also said.

The three main destinations where Zimbabwean workers travel in search of work are South Africa, Malawi and Botswana, according to the release.