13 Apr 2021

Leader of the Opposition and Maun West MP, Mr Dumelang Saleshando, has expressed concern in the manner in which the country has handled the response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Giving a statement to the National Assembly on Monday, he said COVID-19 had placed the country under severe economic strain and a health burden and he is not pleased with how government is communicating aspects of its response.

Mr Saleshando said Batswana should have been timeously appraised on restricted domestic movement over the Easter holidays, noting that days after the end of those holidays people were still struggling to access permits to travel to other COVID-19 zones.

He also articulated his apprehension with the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine, which he said had been uncharacteristically slow.

“Traditionally, Botswana takes the lead position when it comes to timely response to a health threat, this is not the case with the COVID-19 vaccine rollout. Numerous questions remain unanswered, such as; When did Botswana place its orders with the vaccine manufactures, which brands were ordered, when are we expecting delivery and when does

Botswana plan to attain herd immunity,” Mr Saleshando said.

He further said over a hundred private health facilities including private hospitals, clinics, pharmacies and laboratories had offered the Gaborone District Health Management Team for their facilities to be utilised for the COVID-19 vaccine rollout but had been turned down.

“They employ qualified medical personnel who were further trained on the administration of the COVID-19 vaccine. The private facilities were overlooked in favour of politically connected private residential sites,” Mr Saleshando lamented.

Another concern Mr Saleshando raised was that government had admitted that COVID-19 Scorpions who were temporarily employed to curb the spread of the virus countrywide in 2020 did not have their contracts extended.

Mr Saleshando called on government to inform the public each time there were movement restrictions; announce an accelerated vaccine rollout plan, commit to pursue the manufacture of COVID-19 vaccines domestically; reinstate COVID-19 Scorpions; and to release details of private residence vaccination centres. ENDS