Unions encourage use of different languages in COVID-19 fight :: Mmegi Online

Different stakeholders have called on the government to consider using different languages to teach people about the COVID-19 pandemic. Botswana Doctors Union (BDU) says if people of different tribes can go around the country teaching people about COVID-19 in clinics or hospitals, many will be able to appreciate how they can conduct themselves or care about their loved ones in the fight against the pandemic.

“As for the languages, I think that’s a great idea as it personifies good stakeholder involvement because citizens are the largest stakeholders in this fight against COVID-19. I definitely would go for it as one of the solutions. Sometimes the spread does happen because people lack information because mostly on Btv detailed messages are in English or Setswana. An old woman at home cannot relate to what is being said in some rural areas because she do not understand either English or Setswana. Some of them do not even have a television set. Maybe this is the time we change strategy. It cannot be ignored that the virus has now reached other areas that we did not expect,” BDU president Dr Shingirai Muzondiwa said in an interview on Wednesday. He also said if people do not know some things, then they are bound to make mistakes unlike those who have.

Still, on the matter, the Botswana Nurses Union (BONU) president Obonolo Rahube said the use of different languages could help to save the country from the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.

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