02 Apr 2020

As at April 1, three lodges in the Southern District had pledged accommodation for quarantining suspected cases of Covid-19.

District commissioner Mr Mmoloki Raletobana said at in an interview recently that Warm Hands and Sampi lodges had offered a total of 21 rooms between them while the third one was yet to give them a number of rooms.

He commended the lodge owners for playing their part in social responsibility and augmenting government’s resources. He said their contribution would go a long way in preparing the district response towards COVID-19.

He said even though the businesses offered accommodation on voluntary basis, discussions were ongoing in regard to utility bills such as water and power. He noted that even though his office had not received any monetary pledges towards the Covid-19 Relief Fund, he was optimistic that more people would come forth with pledges, in cash and in kind.

Additionally, Mr Raletobana acknowledged efforts made by various government ministries and departments to avert the pandemic and its aftermath. He said the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development had indicated that funds would be disbursed towards maintenance of school toilets and general cleanliness of schools in preparation for when schools re-open.

He also said they had formed committees which comprised various sectors whose role was to sensitise the communities about the pandemic, including those in rural areas. He said so far generally the public was responding well to the prevention precautions, save for a few.

He said they had also discovered that there were a lot of sanitising mixtures whose standards were not proven. He advised members of the public to continue practicing washing hands with clean water and soap at all times to minimise the spread of COVID-19.

He said in a move to curb illegal entry into Botswana, security forces had intensified patrols along the border villages in the Borolong area. ENDS