28 Feb 2021

Over 100 000 persons have been apprehended and charged for breaking various COVID-19 regulations since the State of Public Emergency (SOE)was introduced.

Briefing Parliament during Minister’s Question Time on February 26, Minister of Defence, Justice and Security, Mr Kagiso Mmusi revealed that since the commencement of SOE, 111 441 cases of violations of COVID-19 restrictions were registered by the Botswana Police Service (BPS) as at February 23.

The Minister said of these cases, 110 432 were charges against individuals while 1 009 were against group gatherings, social or public events.

“Botswana police statistics indicate that the most violated protocol regulation was failure to wear masks in public areas, with 62 380 arrests; unlawful movement of persons during lockdown, curfew and across zones with 38 169 arrests; and the violation of liquor conditions of sale, consumption and smuggling, with 6 028 arrests,” he said.

Giving the background, Mr Mmusi said on March 11, 2020 the World Health Organisation (WHO) officially declared COVID-19 a global pandemic, and a national State of Public Emergency was instituted effective April 2, 2020 to March 31, 2021 for ease of management and control of the virus.

Two lockdowns were pronounced in April and August 2020, and BPS and the Botswana Defence Force (BDF) deployed staff countrywide to monitor compliance to the set COVID-19 regulations, Mr Mmusi disclosed.

“These regulations have been maintained with varying restrictions over time as the situation dictated. During the initial period of national lockdown, Batswana were more compliant as less violations were generally recorded, save for movement without permit,” Mr Mmusi said.

However, relaxation of certain conditions saw more violations taking place, Mr Mmusi said, notably against liquor conditions, public gatherings, the wearing of face masks in public areas and in the recent period, observation of curfew hours.

Furthermore, Mr Mmusi said the violations were skewed towards urban areas, where the population was dense and highly mobile.

Mr Mmusi said strategies employed to enhance compliance were the implementation of the COVID-19 operational plan; general enforcement of regulations; border patrols targeting illegal border crossing; roadblocks and deployment at cut-off points to enforce movement regulations and the deployment at isolation centres to enforce isolation conditions.

He also said the police were also deployed to track, monitor, escort and enforce delivery conditions pertaining to imported essential services, public education on COVID-19 regulations using different media.

The BPS further collaborated with BDF, the Directorate of Intelligence and Security Services (DIS) to strengthen enforcement and information sharing and implemented its own BPS Health and Safety workplace guidelines to ensure compliance among police officers.

He was responding to a question posed by Ngami MP Mr Caterpillar Hikuama during Minister’s Question Time.

Mr Hikuama had asked the minister to update Parliament on the state and level of public compliance to COVID-19 Protocols across the country.

Mr Hikuama sought to know the number of people arrested and charged for offending COVID-19 protocols since the commencement of the State of Public Emergency and which protocols were highly violated and numbers of offenders per offence.

He also asked the minister what strategies had been devised by the law enforcement agencies to enhance compliance.  ENDS