12 Nov 2020

The United Nations  budget for COVID-19 response in Botswana amounts to at least US$5 million, the organisation’s resident coordinator, Mr Zia Choudhury has revealed.

Giving an update on the UN’s contribution to Botswana’s COVID-19 response yesterday, he said since the outbreak of coronavirus,  the UN had prioritised supporting Botswana in fighting and managing the disease.

He explained that the support was given according to a comprehensive five-pillar framework approach encompassing putting health first, social protection, economic recovery, macroeconomic response and multilateral collaboration as well as social cohesion and community resilience. 

He said the COVID-19 crisis had affected every aspect of the society, hence the need for it to be tackled from all angles.

Mr Choudhury emphasised the importance of health and survival of people during the crisis but said other services should not be sidelined.

There was need to keep the economy afloat at every level as well as to protect the most vulnerable people who suffered the most, he said.

Noting that the crisis was far from being over, Mr Choudhury said there was need for total solidarity with all stakeholders in fighting the pandemic.

For her part, World Health Organization (WHO) representative, Dr Josephine Namboze commended Botswana for managing to contain the spread of COVID-19 and ensuring that positive cases remained low.

She said WHO was making sure there was more education and understanding about the disease as well as providing advice from different technical experts to help with curbing the pandemic.

Dr Namboze called for coordinated efforts within different pillars of health which included the response itself, surveillance and contact tracing, case management, infection and prevention control to minimize the chances of health workers contracting the disease.

Furthermore, she highlighted the importance of strengthening health systems by going back to basics and ensuring that every gap was closed.

Dr Namboze implored the nation to step up vigilance and continue adhering to health measures put in place such as social distancing, wearing masks, washing of hands and sanitizing. ends