Zimbabwe raised salaries for government workers by 50% on Wednesday, hours after nurses stopped work at a major government hospital in the capital Harare, demanding to be paid in dollars because of soaring inflation.

The government brought back the Zimbabwe dollar last June.

Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube said in a statement the salary rise would take immediate effect, adding that workers would also get a monthly allowance of $75.

Nurses began their protest despite concerns about the effect on Zimbabwe's fight against Covid-19, which has infected 401 people and killed four in the southern African country.

Zimbabwe Nurses Association Secretary-General Enock Dongo told Reuters News Agency that the least-paid nurses were earning a net monthly salary of 2 000 Zimbabwe dollars and warned that the boycott could continue beyond Wednesday and spread to other hospitals.