08 Dec 2020

COVID-19 test at border gates may soon attract a fee.

 However, coordinator of the national COVID-19 task team, Dr Kereng Masupu says the issue is still under discussion.

Dr Masupu revealed this during his visit to Mamuno border facility recently, a few days after the easing of border movement restrictions. 

The coordinator said that before introducing a COVID-19 test charge at border gates, issues such as revenue collection and associated logistics and how the move would affect the general public must be put into perceptive.

He stated that though the move might not be a headache to truck drivers because they would be on business, ‘it might be a challenge to some people who have relatives across the border’.

He said the aim of the visit was to see how the border personnel were coping after the re-opening of borders. 

“We want to engage them, have first-hand information and advise them, particularly on how to improve processes. Dr Masupu was happy that the COVID-19 testing laboratory near the border facility was almost complete and the installation of machines was taking off. “I think in 10 days the lab will be operational.”

Previously, Mamuno border officials had indicated that despite that valid negative COVID-19 Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test results conducted within 72 hours could be used as a gate pass to Botswana, most travellers from other countries were reluctant to conduct tests at their home countries because they attracted a fee, as opposed to Botswana.  

Regarding the disposal of waste from the laboratory, senior architect, Ministry of Health and Wellness, Mr Amogelang Matsake said a waste machine would be procured, but in the interim, available waste disposal method would be used.

The state of the art machine being procured, he said, would shredded and sterilised waste from the test centre to transform it to ‘normal waste’ before being disposed of. ends