Zimbabwe reopens bars, but only for vaccinated drinkers

Zimbabwe is allowing bars to reopen for the first time in more than a year, but only fully vaccinated people will be allowed to take a swig from inside the premises

HARARE, Zimbabwe -- Zimbabwe is allowing bars to reopen for the first time in more than a year, but only fully vaccinated people will be allowed to take a swig from inside the premises.

The southern African country closed pubs and nightclubs in March 2020 as part of restrictions to slow the spread of COVID-19 and had ignored pleas by owners to ease the restrictions to rescue their collapsing businesses.

“It is a huge relief,” Faith Masiya, a director of FC Lounge in the eastern city of Mutare, said Wednesday. “Being closed for more than a year wasn’t a joke, it nearly killed our business. We had a lot of overheads to meet like salaries, trading license fees, water and electricity bills.”

Information Minister Monica Mutsvangwa said the decision to open pubs and nightclubs was out of “concern” that “the continued closure of licensed bars and nightclubs has caused not only a loss of income and unemployment but also resulted in the mushrooming of illegal outlets.”