Namibia moves to “next normal” in fight against the Coronavirus

Namibia’s Head of State Dr Hage Geingob brought the good news to the nation on Wednesday that some public restrictions will no more apply in the fight against the Coronavirus (Covid-19). Perhaps the most welcomed news is that the number of people allowed in public gatherings is now 200 (up from 50 people), that quarantine requirements are less strict and that passenger numbers in vehicles can return to normal.

The President made the announcement Wednesday during a televised address from State House. The announcement was augmented with a public statement directly afterwards by the Minister of Health and Social Services, Dr Kalumbi Shangula.
From the outset both Dr Geingob and Dr. Shangula urged Namibians not to have illusions be distracted by the fact that the country’s Covid-19 cases have dropped significantly, and that deaths also dropped. Namibians are urged to continue to practise hygiene, wear masks and maintain social distancing to prevent a resurgence of Covid-19 cases.
Quarantine measures:
*All travelers (tourists, business travelers, Namibians and Namibian permit holders) are allowed to enter Namibia and proceed to their final destinations if they can show a negative PCR test result that is not older than 72-hours. The mandatory re-test after five days has been scrapped.
*All travelers arriving in Namibia with a negative PCR test result older than 72-hours but not older than seven days will also be per-mitted to enter Namibia but must then undergo supervised quarantine period of seven days either at home or a tourism facility. If the home- or tourism facility’s quarantine facilities are not up to the standard required, the person will be taken to a Government quarantine facility at own cost.
*Namibians who enter the country without any test results or test positive will have to be tested, quarantined and/or isolated.
*Non-Namibians with no test results will be denied entry.
The same above applies to aircraft and marine vessel crews, humanitarian aid workers, essential services providers, as well as operators and drivers of cross-border transport vehicles arriving in Namibia without the required test.
Passengers in vehicles:
*Restrictions on passenger numbers on public transport, private vehicles and tourism vehicles were also lifted. Vehicle occupancy can revert to the number of passengers legally al-lowed on such transport vehicles. Despite the passenger numbers re-turning to normal, operators of such vehicles will still be required to enforce the basic hygiene protocols to com-bat the spread of the Coronavirus.