Southern African Development Community (SADC) countries last week agreed on guidelines that only allow the movement of critically important goods and services between regional borders during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Guidelines for Harmonising and Facilitating Movement of Critical Goods and Services across the region during the COVID-19 high-risk period were adopted by a SADC Council of Ministers meeting convened online last week.

Among other things, SADC categorised a set of seven essential goods and services to be permitted across regional borders and member states also agreed to suspend all inter-state mass movement of people in buses and mini-buses, except where exemptions are provided.