Chamisa's MDC tells Mnangagwa to scrap quarantine law

The MDC Alliance on Monday called on President Emmerson Mnangagwa to scrap his quarantine rules for all arrivals which are due to lapse on Tuesday.

Mnangagwa's announcement of the measures on November 30 triggered holiday booking cancellations and forced thousands to change their travel plans – but they were never implemented.

MDC Alliance vice president Tendai Biti called the measures "draconian" after previous criticism from scientists that they were not based on science.

"We hope this vacuous regime will not renew the measures which imposed mandatory PCR tests and 10-day quarantine for everyone arriving in Zimbabwe," Biti said.

Biti said Statutory Instrument 267 which followed Mnangagwa's televised address was a "draconian, ill-thought piece of legislation typifying everything wrong with the regime."

The government has not explained why it never followed through in implementing the measures which threatened to ruin Christmas plans for millions.