Namibia Reinstates Stricter Lockdown as Virus Cases Surge
Namibia Reinstates Stricter Lockdown as Virus Cases Surge
(Bloomberg) -- Namibia will reintroduce stricter coronavirus restrictions at midnight following a surge in Covid-19 cases.
The country will revert to stage three for 16 days to suppress the spread of the virus after having moved to stage four on June 29, President Hage Geingob said at a media briefing on Wednesday. The southern African nation is currently at stage four, with stage five being the lowest alert level.
“The confirmation of clustered community transmissions is of great concern, Geingob said. “If left unchecked, this pandemic will be catastrophic for our country in terms of lives lost and the economy,” Geingob said.
Namibia has 3,406 confirmed cases of the virus and 22 deaths. It took four months for the country to get to 1,000 positive cases, but 14 days to reach 2,000 and 11 days to reach 3,000, he said.
Under the stricter measures, travel in and out of hotspot areas such as the capital, Windhoek, and Walvis Bay, will be restricted to emergency situations while any persons leaving these areas will be quarantined upon arrival at their destination.
The country has also imposed a curfew on the restricted towns and limited alcohol sales.
Public gatherings including weddings, funerals and religious events will be limited to 10 people, while restaurants in the restricted areas will only operate on a takeaway basis.
Additionally, nightclubs, gambling houses and casinos will not be permitted to operate while all points of entry will remain closed with the exception of those through which critical goods transit.
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