26 Aug 2020

The Bamalete Lutheran Hospital (BLH) has resumed services after closing for about twelve days following a confirmed COVID-19 case. 

The acting Hospital Superintendent Dr Pierrot Mwanza confirmed to BOPA that the hospital which was closed on August 7 opened for business last week Tuesday. 

The hospital was closed after a health worker based at the hospital  tested positive for  COVID-19. 

 During an address to the south-east south sub-district council on Monday, the sub-council chairperson Ms Semakaleng Sebogodi said the health worker had three positive contacts that were non-staff. She told the councillors that the hospital was closed for contact tracing and added that the exercise had been concluded. Ms Sebogodi said about 400 employees of the hospital had been tested. 

Councillor Sebogodi added that BHL case contact tracing also led to Mogobane, adding that 42 people have been sent to different quarantine centres. 

She said that the temporary closure of the hospital led to an influx of patients to clinics in the village. On other COVID-19 issues in the sub-district which is made of Ramotswa, Taung, Mogobane and Otse villages, Councillor Sebogodi urged fellow councillors to assist the police officers in identifying border jumpers. 

“There has been a significant number of border crossers at un-gazetted entry points putting the district at risk of imported cases,” she said. She highlighted that all border jumpers who had been reported by the police were screened for COVID-19 while citizens were referred for quarantine. 

Councillor Sebogodi said all non-citizens were tested for coronavirus before being repatriated to their countries. BOPA