Sello Motseta
25th March 2020
Whilst Government officials continue displaying posters in some public institutions on the value of social
distancing to combat the spread of corona virus, people continue to queue in lines next to each other at retail outlets and the bus rank as well as sitting next to each in mini combi’s en route to work.
“Government measures on corona virus do not go far enough because they are not followed consistently. Outside in lines to enter shops we are crowded waiting to get inside. We do not keep 1m distance from each other. So implementing the measure in the shop is counterproductive. It is like going back to square one. It does not make a difference,” said Pamela Tiroyame, an unemployed mother of 1.
She said, “Inside combis we remain crowded. There is no social distancing. Moreover not everyone has sanitizers. It is assumed they are easily available.”
People with COVID-19 symptoms may experience runny nose, sore throat, cough, fever and difficulty breathing (severe cases). The World Health organization(WHO) is advising individuals to regularly and thoroughly clean their hands with an alcohol-based hand rub or wash them with soap and water.
Washing your hands with soap and water or using alcohol-based hand rub kills viruses that may be on your hands. It is therefore advised that people at retail outlets should maintain at least 1 metre (3 feet) distance between themselves and anyone who is coughing or sneezing.
Officials say when someone coughs or sneezes they spray small liquid droplets from their nose or mouth which may contain virus. If you are too close, you can breathe in the droplets, including the COVID-19 virus if the person coughing has the disease. Precautions taken at retail outlets are therefore important. In Botswana despite a proliferation of cases there is inconsistent application of precautions.
An irate Asian supermarket manager at SPAR BBS revealed the retailer has queues to limit number of individuals entering the supermarket to 20 – 30 people at a time. “We also ask them to sanitise their hands before they enter the shop,” said Mangaer whose badge identified him as Kamal.
He said, “We ensure all trolleys and baskets are sanitised before going to parking lots. We also announce in shop that customers must keep 1m distance and sanitize till points and service counters as well as fridge handles.”
The COVID-19 virus spreads primarily through droplets of saliva or discharge from the nose when an infected person coughs or sneezes, so it’s important that you also practice respiratory etiquette (for example, by coughing into a flexed elbow).
“I do not think we are really prepared and people continue to enter country with limited supervision. We see on social media that in quarantine areas that there is limited social distancing applied,” said Solomon Mpusetsang, Manager at Propellers Swimming Academy.
He said, “Small businesses are out of operation and there is no indication that they will get any help from Government. I am out of work until further notice because we operated from a gym and we are not allowed more than 10 people at any point in time. We cannot run classes like on a normal day and i do not know how i am going to pay my rent. We had hoped for Government support.”
According to the World Health Organization(WHO) guidelines ambulances and public transport vehicles are expected to be cleaned and disinfected, with particular attention paid to the areas in contact with suspected cases. Cleaning should be done with regular household soap or detergent first and then, after rinsing, regular household disinfectant containing 0.5% sodium hypochlorite (that is, equivalent 5000 ppm or 1 part to 9 parts water) are expected to be applied.
Transport staff are encouraged to routinely perform hand hygiene and wear a medical mask and gloves when loading patients into the ambulance.
Boikhutso Rabasha, Spokesperson for the Ministry of Agricultural Development and Food Security, said “The Ministry is in the process of developing a holistic strategy to deal with corona virus. It is not just about people in production areas but is also about people in offices. It will indicate number of skeletal staff in our offices.”
The problem in Botswana is that whilst some posters are displayed at various points of entry sharing information it is not clear that a strategy involving all stakeholders has been developed. There are no tax breaks or support mechanisms for small business owners who are hardest hit by corona virus.
“The Government is delivering messages regularly on radio and on BTV that we should not crowd. But they are not telling us to restrict the number of people we put on our combi’s,” said Oarabile Tshomane, a Combi driver at the populous bus rank where mitigation against COVID-19 virus is not evident.
He said, “There is no assistance from Government and there are no subsidies to compensate us despite the looming shutdown.”
Combis typically carry 14 people in a mini combi and are compelled by Government to charge P4 around Gaborone and to places like Oodi, Gaborone North and Phakalane which are much further in distance. These punitive price regulations are imposed on taxi owners as part of licensing requirements despite the fact that taxi combi’s are not subsidized by Government and earn meagre salaries as a result.
