Fully vaccinated may re-enter without PCR test

Piquet Jacobs

Minister of Health and Social Services, Dr Kalumbi Shangula, announced during the 39th COVID-19 public briefing yesterday that fully vaccinated Namibians, permanent residents and truck drivers will no longer be required to present a negative PCR test result upon entry into Namibia and can enter the country at any time with a valid and authentic vaccination card. retained without change; no change on the measures related to liquor sales; business owners shall continue to operate in line with the provisions of their business licenses; public transport measures remain unchanged and COVID-19 burials will proceed in the same manner.

Shangula further stated, “the Fourth Wave started on 29 November 2021. The cases peaked on 19 December 2021, when we recorded a total of 1 334 new cases in a day. The cases have since started to decline from the 26 December 2021 with an average of 450 cases per day. From 16 December 2021 to 11 January 2022, a period of 27 days covering the current dispensations, a total of 68 975 samples were tested of which 18 586 new cases were confirmed giving a positive ratio of 27% compared to 11% positivity ratio during the preceding period. These figures indicates that the number of tests conducted increased by 37.2% and number of new cases increased by 69.8%, while the positivity ratio increased by 59.3%. Correspondingly, the number of deaths increased exponentially from 13 deaths reported during the preceding 27 days to 181 deaths reported during the period of 27 days during this dispensation, an increment of 92.8%. The number of inpatients increased to an average of 362 per day as com-pared to 198 reported during the preceding 27 days.”
The President, Hage Geingob, during his address commented that it is the for the country to rebuild the economy and our communities that have been affected by COVID-19. “Without a doubt, it will be a long road ahead. However, with the resilience and ingenuity, we have demonstrated over the past two years, I am confident that by holding hands and by standing together as One Namibia, One Nation, we have it within us to reimage our country for better and in the interests of current and future generations.”