A formal notice was issued on December 1st declaring Zimbabwe’s borders were reopened to private motorists and pedestrians. Private motorists and pedestrians entering Zimbabwe must have a certificate issued to them within the previous 48 hours confirming that they do not have the coronavirus and exhibit no symptoms, however. Public transport will have to wait until early 2021 to join in again. More staff have been deployed to border posts for an expected spike in numbers of people entering into the country. Adequate protective clothing and equipment for immigration officers to cover the anticipated traffic, such as masks and temperature readers, has been acquired.
Reading this made made me a little curious and a little frustrated. It made me curious as to what Zimbabwe and maybe other African countries are doing to combat this virus. It also made me a little frustrated because here in the United States, I know we have definitely taken steps in the right direction to ending this pandemic and consequences of the pandemic, but it doesn’t feel like enough while the rest of the world is reopening borders and ending their lockdowns while our schools are still closed and restaurants are operating at a fraction of what they should be. Fortunately, the vaccine does appear to be within grasp, so hospitals keeping up the progress on the vaccine does inspire hope for a new age of American life.
Earlier in the year, we discussed Globalization & International Systems as a class. We discussed how ingrained globalization is in our current world after the Cold War. According to the Observatory of Economic Complexity, Zimbabwe’s main exports are gold, tobacco, and tourism for a total of around 5 and a half billion as of 2018. Zimbabwe sold all over the world, so when the pandemic hit, I bet that number tanked. But to see Zimbabwean borders opening again is a great sign for the economy of Zimbabwe, because tons of people come to visit Victoria Falls every year, which rakes in the tourism money for Zimbabwe. Reopening borders will surely increase the GDP of Zimbabwe.