14 Jan 2021

There is no envisaged hard lockdown for Maun zone since a curfew is already in place countrywide, presidential COVID-19 task force coordinator Dr Kereng Masupu has said.

  Speaking in an interview after a tour of Maun General Hospital Wednesday, Dr Masupu said the ongoing curfew served as a lockdown as it controlled movement of people at night.

A hard lockdown, he explained, had economic implications on the community which might be a challenge for government.

He therefore emphasised  adherence  to the COVID-19 protocols of social distancing, proper wearing of masks and hand sanitizing.

Dr Masupu said the task force had realised a trend of surging of COVID-19 cases after the festive season.

He noted that the Maun  zone  currently had 168 active cases and that the new COVID-19 variant  had been  identified in the Ngamiland region.

However, Dr Masupu pointed out that the aim was to use existing interventions to combat COVID-19 as a whole and not to focus on the new strain only.

He revealed that Maun  COVID-19 isolation centers were full hence some patients were recommended for home isolation.

Dr Masupu lamented that some home isolation patients failed to confine themselves to their homes which might defeat efforts against COVID-19.

Ngami Regional Health Management Team coordinator, Dr Sandra Maripe, said there were 20 patients on isolation at Botswana Open University in Maun. Ends