16 Apr 2020

 Botswana has registered two new cases of COVID-19, raising the number of those who have tested positive for the virus to 15, inclusive of one death.

Addressing a press briefing in Gaborone on April 16, the Minister of Health and Wellness Dr Lemogang Kwape said the two were a male police officer who was part of the group that went to the United Kingdom for training and a 21-years-old male, who came into contact with a 27-year-old coronavirus positive man of Molepolole, who had travelled to the UK.

He said the officer was tested and the results were negative, but the second tested came out positive with COVID-19.

According to Dr Kwape, to date the ministry had received  3 839 specimen, out of which 3 602 were tested and 3 587 tested negative, while 15 tested positive, with 207 results pending. 

He said of the 2 573 people who were held in quarantine, 2 032 had been released while 541 were still in quarantine. A total of 208 are in home quarantine.

The Minister said his ministry was preparing for a community testing, scheduled to start during the weekend of April 18, targeting 20 000 people.

“This will help in containing the virus from spreading, and if it happens that we find a number of positive cases in one area, we will lock it down,” he said. ENDS