27 Sep 2020

Local holiday makers will be allowed to travel within zones during the coming Independence Day holiday in an effort to boost local tourism that has been heavily affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, official said on Saturday.

 Travelers will be required to produce their booking confirmations at zonal checkpoints with law enforcement authorities, according to Dr Kereng Masupu, the coordinator of the Presidential Task Force for COVID-19. The move came a day after an announcement on Friday that those who travel within the country will need to apply for permits, and that all current active permits have been revoked and those who require permits can re-apply online.

 director of Health Services Dr Malaki Tshipayagae, said the decision was prompted by the rising number of cases and a potential surge in light of the upcoming holiday.

However, the announcement was met with widespread criticism from locals who had already made bookings to travel in the coming week. Travel zones  were introduced in early March to restrict movement of people as the virus started spreading.

 Since then, travellers must apply for a permit to move between zones.

Botswana’s COVID-19 situation has deteriorated in recent weeks with a spike in the number of confirmed cases.

As of September 20, the country had recorded a total of 2 921 cases with 16 related deaths. ENDS