UK ban chokes safaris

Zimbabwe’s safari operators say the United Kingdom should appreciate Government efforts to curb the spread of coronavirus, including accelerated vaccination programmes by removing it from the current “red list” and place it in a much better category.

This comes at a time when the country was experiencing a surge in deaths and infections, prompting the Government to introduce tough lockdown measures that include a curfew, ban on inter-city travels and physical conferences.

The UK has a three-tier system to separate countries into a green, amber and red zones of destinations, each carrying different restrictions for arrivals into the UK. Red list countries are those the UK says present the highest Covid risk, and should not be visited “except in the most extreme of circumstances”.

Britain reviewed its “Travel Traffic Light System” this week and Zimbabwe and many other African countries remained in the red list and the obtaining situation inhibits UK citizens from travelling into the listed countries.

“Out of the struggles, Zimbabwe has seen and recorded around 88 415 Covid -19 cases, 58 155 recoveries and 2 747 deaths,” Dr Emmanuel Fundira, the president of Safari Operators Association of Zimbabwe said Thursday.

“Zimbabwe has managed to vaccinate 1 184 435 or 8,1 percent of the population, and 643 203 or 4,4 percent of our population has been fully vaccinated and process continues unabated.

“We are proud that Victoria Falls which is our tourism city has achieved a 77 percent herd immunity and current Government thrust is to fully vaccinate all our border points including the remaining tourism hubs dotted across the country.

“There is definitely a commitment and effort to ensure our people are healthy and our visitors are healthy and safe.”

Zimbabwe is expecting a delivery of 1,5 million vaccine doses this week and an additional one million doses and two million syringes.

The third wave of the pandemic has seen massive decline in new bookings with occupancies dropping to around 12 percent.

The monthly survey by SafariBookings.com reveals a significant trend of decline in new bookings and large-scale cancellations of existing bookings. This is a major blow for Africa’s US$12,4 billion safari industry, the wildlife reserves that rely on its business and the local people employed in the safari industry.

Dr Fundira said there was not much understanding of the impact on the red list bans on economies, saying the” “restrictive” policies were badly affecting livelihoods.

“We don’t need any favours; we just need to be allowed to do business. We want our countries to be removed from the red lists category.

“In fact these travel advisories are not based on the reality on the ground. The negative narrative that Africa was backward is not acceptable and cannot be sustained,” Fundira added.

“Tourists provide jobs in our rural areas as most of our tourism is nature-based tourism and their funding helps maintain the integrity of communities.

“We need UK tourists to help revitalise our economies. Most if not all of tourism activities are outdoor based and therefore regarded as low risk.”

The UK claims its three-tier system to separate countries into a green, amber and red list of destinations is based on scientific evidence.

In light of the continued rise in Covid-19 cases, the Government approved the decongesting of both public and private sector workplaces.

The Government has further reduced its workforce to 25 percent, on a two-weeks rotational interval. Priority will be given to the vaccinated workers.

Courts will be opened only for remand and urgent cases.

Vaccination, shield to the economy

Local businesses are also unanimous that progress being recorded by the Government in efforts to vaccinate the majority of citizens will help minimise the negative impact of the third wave of Covid-19 on Zimbabwe’s economic growth targets.

Finance and Economic Development Minister Professor Mthuli Ncube forecast that the economy will grow by 7,4 percent this year driven largely by strong agricultural season and the global mineral price boom.

Authorities say for once galloping inflation, which dropped to 106,6 percent in June from 162,9 percent in May 2021, will fall below 25 percent by year end after climbing to a post dollarisation high of 837 percent in 2020.

The strong growth prospects were also backed by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which projected the economy to grow by 6 percent and the World Bank Group, which sees a 3,9 percent expansion.

Zimbabwe’s economy, after a 6 percent decline in 2019 due to drought and impact of Cyclone Idai, contracted by a further 4 percent in 2020, largely on account of disruptions to domestic and global trade caused by Covid-19.

Economist and former monetary policy committee (MPC) member Eddie Cross said the relaxed level four lockdown measures would ensure that the impact of the third wave of the pandemic will be negligible.

Cross also said the generally low rate of infection in Zimbabwe, either due to effect of Government measures in combating the spread of the virus or weather conditions, would work in the economy’s favour.

The only real concern, Cross said, was the risk posed by disruptions to trade and supply chains following a fortnight of deadly riots in South Africa over the incarceration of former President Jacob Zuma.

“I think there are threats but they are being minimised by the relatively limited impact of Covid-19 in Zimbabwe, whether it’s the weather, whether it is the people resting, I do not know, whatever it is.

“I think we are less affected than in other countries, but I think the main reason for that have been the restricted measures imposed on the country by the Government in response to the Covid-19,” Cross said.

Cross said the relaxed level four lockdown measures, allowing full scale business and economic activity between 8 am and 15:30 pm will result in limited negative impact of the third wave on the economy.

He said reaching the national herd immunity was critical for the Government to open all sectors of the economy without any restrictions, but noted that reaching the feat would be more beneficial in the longer term.

Economist and MPC member, Persistence Gwanyanya said the third wave was a worrying risk, but pointed out the progress by the Government in rolling out mass vaccination programme, as a key deciding factor.

“I just got some indications from the Treasury that (health officials) have now done a million jabs under the first phase of the vaccinations. Compared to the region, I think we have done quite well.

“This will help to save, firstly, life and secondly support the economic efforts on the ground. It is true, we are worried that Covid-19 poses a risk, but we have done quite a lot to contain the pandemic.

“On the positive side, is a good agricultural season. We expect significant output this year from agriculture. Even the mining sector, (will do well). Gold, following incentives that were put in place . . . we recorded deliveries of 2,9 metric tonnes.

“This is the highest ever. It is a huge increase in deliveries and it happens at a time when gold production or deliveries had fallen significantly to between 17 tonnes and 19 tonnes for a whole year, last year.

“It is happening at a time when bullion prices are firmer and all those factors would support the growth that we expected as a country despite risks coming out Covid-19,” Gwanyanya said.-ebusinessweekly.col.zw