BORDER BEAT: Beitbridge remains a headache as Covid screening continues

The southbound queue to the Beitbridge border out of Zimbabwe remained congested this morning after South Africa's Department of Health (DoH) implemented stringent screening procedures for the coronavirus.
Transporters have complained to the Federation of East and Southern African Road Transport Associations (Fesarta) that the movement of trucks over the last 12 hours has been extremely slow.
One haulier indicated that he had joined the line before the Masvingo Road north-east to Harare.
When Freight News spoke to a clearing agent in Musina yesterday, the queue was said to be more than five kilometres long.
Fesarta chief executive Mike Fitzmaurice said the holdup at the border was due to the DoH directive.
"Southbound drivers must be in possession of a negative Covid-19 certificate not older than 72 hours."
They can also undergo antigen testing at the border at a cost of R170.
Fitzmaurice also advised transporters to see to it that their drivers arrived at the border with completed health questionnaires as required by the directive.
The clearing agent said it was hoped that when the questionnaires went online from December 17, time spent getting screened at the border by Port Health officials would be much reduced.