This archive report was first published on 13 May 2020.
On May 11, 2020, South Africa repatriated 589 Mozambicans who had been pardoned after serving part of their prison terms.
Of the repatriated individuals, 449 tested negative for COVID-19 and were directed to their provinces, while 140 were still being held in an accommodation centre waiting to be tested.
As of May 11, 2020, Mozambique had recorded 12 positive cases of COVID-19, bringing the total to 103 cases. Twenty-one patients had recovered, and no fatalities had been registered.
Mozambique confirmed its first positive case of coronavirus on March 28, 2020, from a 75-year-old citizen who arrived from the UK.
The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) had expressed concern over the spread of COVID-19 after more than 14,000 Mozambicans returned from South Africa over the Ressano Garcia border within a span of a few days in March 2020.
