#Coronavirus: Govt places travel ban on US, UK, China, Belgium and others
Mbongeni Mguni | Monday March 16, 2020 18:47
Botswana is yet to record a case of the virus but in a televised address to the nation last Thursday, President Mokgweetsi Masisi had cautioned that strong measures would be taken to keep the virus at bay.
In a statement this evening, Health Minister, Lemogang Kwape said the travel ban also covered Austria, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and India.
'All citizens and residents of Botswana are to postpone travel to affected countries to minimize the risk of COVID-19,' he said.
He added that public gatherings of more than 100 people were also banned for a period of 30 days.
Botswana expects to achieve localised testing for Covid-19 later this week, with Masisi saying he expects the country to be able to test up to 100 people a day and receive results within as little as 24 hours.
The travel ban affects countries from where firms travel to Botswana 10 times a year to purchase rough diamonds under the De Beers, Government of Botswana sales agreement.
Efforts to reach Minerals Minister, Lefoko Moagi on the latest developments were unsuccessful this evening.
Last year, De Beers' local unit, Debswana produced about 23.3 million carats of diamonds, out of the group's total global production of 30.8 million.
According to its 2019 financials released recently, De Beers rough diamond sales, which come from auctions conducted in Gaborone, amounted to $4 billion.