01 Jun 2021

 Organisations have been urged to allow employees to work from home during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Giving an update on the pandemic Monday, presidential COVID-19 task  team scientific advisor, Dr Mogomotsi Matshaba said organisations should put in place new measures to improve productivity whilst employees worked from home. 

Dr Matshaba said reduced numbers of employees at  workplaces could help control and lower the number of new positive cases.

On statistics, he said during the four-day period,  May 25-28, Botswana detected 829 new positive cases and registered 18 deaths.

According to Dr Matshaba, from March 2020 to date, the country had registered 54 973 COVID-19 cases with 2 865 active and quite infectious, 51 259 recoveries and a death toll of 849.

The situation, he said, did not call for relaxation of restrictions. 

Dr Matshaba revealed that government was in the process  of coming up with extra measures for the red zones of Greater Gaborone, Greater Palapye and Selebi Phikwe to help fight the virus and minimise spread to green zones. 

He attributed the increase in the number of positive cases to social events. 

In addition, he said people tended to get used to the disease and failed to comply with the restrictions thereby spreading the virus.

Dr Matshaba urged families to support positive active patients.

Lack of support also contributed to the spread of the virus because those who tested positive were forced to go out for essential necessities, he said.

He appealed to Batswana, including those vaccinated, to continue adhering to COVID-19 safety protocols. 

Dr Matshaba said Botswana continued to conduct testing with the total number of tests currently standing at 1 162 291 out of which 2 543 were conducted at entry points. 

He said since the commencement of the vaccination exercise, a total of 142 864 people had received their first dose.ends