Mozambique: What happened when a young woman with coronavirus broke home quarantine in Zavala

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Mozambique: What happened when a young woman with coronavirus broke home quarantine in Zavala

5:23 CAT | 20 May 2020

File photo: Moz Tours

A 21-year-old woman recently returned from neighbouring South Africa and diagnosed positive for the new coronavirus, broke her home quarantine in the district of Zavala, Inhambane province last Sunday and went to her boyfriend’s house in Inharrime, another district in the same province, some 76. kilometres distant.

Since last Sunday, health teams were trying without success to locate the young woman, but the cell phone number she had given the authorities was non-responsive. The team eventually went to the young woman’s house, only to find her gone, and her mother ignorant of her whereabouts.

Nor did any other of the young woman’s relatives know where she was. Finally, one of the young woman’s acquaintances told the health authorities about the boyfriend in Inharrime.

Locating the boyfriend did not prove easy, either, both him and his mother failing to cooperate with the authorities. Police involvement finally located the patient at the boyfriend’s home, and she was removed to a place of institutional quarantine, under 24-hour guard.

This regime was thought necessary because the young woman and her family had not cooperated with the authorities, and for fear that she might again ignore the quarantine requirements stipulated by the authorities.

She is now at the District Hospital of Quissico [Zavala district capital], under the watchful eye of the Police of the Republic of Mozambique (PRM).

The health team has collected samples, for testing in the National Health Institute (INS) laboratory in Marracuene, Maputo province, from at least 27 people identified as having come into contact with the young woman.

At the moment, the province of Inhambane has more than 200 people in home quarantine, most of them recently returned from South Africa.