We are not out of the woods yet

This week marks the end of an 18 - month State of Emergency ( SoE) declared by President Mokgweetsi Masisi last year.

The SoE was declared for the purpose of taking appropriate and stringent measures to address the risks posed by the COVID- 19 pandemic.

Section 17 of the Constitution of the Republic of Botswana empowers the President to declare a State of Emergency at any time.

Now, 18 months down the line, with over two thousand lives lost to Covid and also on the backdrop of the fact that the country is yet to vaccinate the majority of the population the SoE is ending this Thursday.

The government is ending the SoE in an effort to open up the already battered economy not because the country is out of the woods with regards to COVID- 19.

These sentiments were shared by Finance Minister Peggy Serame last week during the Budget Pitso.

She observed that although the number of new cases recorded on a daily basis has been declining steadily in recent weeks, there is still a risk for the “fourth wave towards the end of the year”. It is therefore important that we continue to comply with all the health protocols as advised by the experts leading the fight against the pandemic.

As the SoE ends, there is no room for laxity. COVID- 19 has highlighted the country’s vulnerabilities in various sectors and institutions. The virus has exposed our weak health system. As stated above the SoE is ending, but the country is failing on its vaccine rollout plan.

For a country of over 2.2 million people, only a little over three hundred thousand people have been vaccinated. As the SoE ends, government should now embark on an aggressive vaccination rollout plan. We cannot afford to lose more lives when a fourth wave hits us. We urge our readers and the nation at large to remain vigilant at all times and to obey all the laid down COVID- 19 protocols. Coronavirus remains a big threat in our lives and thus it is our responsibility to comply with COVID- 19 protocols.

This virus knows no colour or one’s economic status and thus this is not time for partisan politics when trying to deal with the disease.