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Namibia Eases Lockdown to Lowest Level, Except for Walvis Bay

Namibia Eases Lockdown to Lowest Level, Except for Walvis Bay

Namibia will ease a nationwide coronavirus-related lockdown to the lowest level in 13 of its 14 regions, with the strictest measures remaining in force in the area that includes the southwest African nation’s second-biggest city.

The relaxation, which comes into effect at the end of the month, allows for gatherings of as many as 250 people for weddings, funerals and religious services, President Hage Geingob told reporters Monday in the capital Windhoek. Attendance at schools remains voluntary, he said.

An undisclosed number of tourists “from a carefully selected market on the basis of its epidemiological profile” will be allowed into the country from Aug. 15, Geingob said. Liquor outlets, taverns and bars can operate under normal working hours, but alcohol sales are for takeaway only.

Erongo, which includes Walvis Bay, was placed under the strictest lockdown three weeks ago after reporting a spike in Covid-19 infections. Of the 63 recorded cases of the virus in Namibia, 42 are in the region.

©2020 Bloomberg L.P.