14 Apr 2020

Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Dr Unity Dow has told a televised press conference that due to the fact that most, if not all countries are currently undergoing lockdown, it would be impossible to bring the corpse home, should anyone die in a foreign country.

Dr Dow, who was conducting one of a series of press briefings that cabinet members hold on a daily basis to update the nation on the initiatives their respective ministries are undertaking to cushion the people against the effects of COVI14-19 lockdown, said even although it was a painful experience for Batswana not to be accorded the opportunity to honour their dead, the current situation dictates such.

She therefore advised that the best thing to do would be to let their dead be buried in their countries of residence.

Dow said all Botswana nationals in China, where the virus outbreak was first experienced, were well and did not experience any ill-treatment apparently faced by other African nationals staying at the trading hub of China, Guanzhong city.

Dow said only two Batswana who went to China for shopping mid-March came across an exercise undertaken by the Chinese government of vaccinating everyone on their soil as a bid to control the spread of the Coronavirus scourge.

She said through the Botswana Embassy in Beijing, the two Batswana were advised to obey the rules and get vaccinated.

Dow said Batswana studying in China were coping well even after a 76-day complete lockdown.

She said African embassies in Beijing came together to discuss the issue with the Chinese government officials on the perceived ill-treatment of African nationals.

Other Batswana on the diaspora are also well except that there were two students who tested positive for COVID-19, one in Canada and the other in the US, she announced.

She said the two students had fully recovered and government was keeping in touch with them to monitor their health and wellbeing.

About 300 Batswana are currently living in different parts of China for different reasons including studying and employment. END