17 Jun 2020

The Chobe District would require at least 300 people  to conduct  COVID-19 contact tracing should there be an outbreak in the area.

Dr Botshelo Kgwaadira, the  District Health Management Team (DHMT) coordinator, said this during the Chobe District emergency operation meeting on June 16.

Dr Kgwaadira said funds had been secured for a one-day workshop to train those who would be engaged.

He explained that the workers would be drawn from the district’s nine villages in the interest of fairness.

On other issues, Dr Kgwaadira noted that the Kazungula border was receiving a low volume of trucks on transit to South Africa.

He said preliminary investigations had revealed that most truck drivers were using other entry points such as Beit Bridge. He said on Monday, the Kazungula Border only received 67 trucks.

The meeting heard that testing for Pandamatenga holding ground was done at Pandamatenga Clinic with results issued at the same facility. He said since the outbreak of COVID-19, the district had registered 15 cases out of which 12 were local. The  foreign cases have since been repatriated. Dr Kgwaadira revealed that currently there were over 20 people in quarantine in Kasane with some accommodated at the Regional Education Centre.

Meanwhile, district commissioner Ms Sekgabo Makgosa said her office was still working around the clock to prepare an isolation centre for the area. She explained that the district had identified Pandamatenga Community Hall to serve as the district’s isolation centre. She said it would take some time as the facility required  major refurbishment. ENDS