The Member of Parliament for Gaborone Bonnigton South- Honourable Christian Greef has pointed a finger at the government for failing to contain the spread of Corona Virus Disease (COVID-19).
While it is an ‘abomination’ for Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) legislators to call their own cabinet to task, Greef held the bull by the horns and committed the ‘sin’. The outspoken lawmaker says he does not agree with the narrative by the COVID-19 Presidential Task Force and the Ministry of Health and Wellness that the virus surge is due to the negligence by the public.
“You have been saying people are moving around, that Batswana have been moving around spreading COVID. I want to tell the Minister that I oppose that story. If the Minister and Task team had some seriousness in them the could not have allowed people from the country of India to enter Botswana with high numbers while we heard that there is a variant at India. Then we allow people from India to enter Botswana, and say Batswana should not travel, how do you justify that?” Greef charged.
In response to Greef’s statement, the Assistant Minister of Health and Wellness- Honourable Sethomo Lelatisitswe refused to admit and take the blame. “It is not true that the Task Force was irresponsible by allowing in people from India, people from India are people who do businesses in Botswana, they have contracts, they boost our economy. Delta variant did not come from India, it came from South Africa where we import everything from.” Lelatisitswe justified. However, the assistant minister did not explain how the variant entered Botswana boarders under his Ministry and Task Force’s watch. This is especially that South Africa has been in hard lockdown for some time now.
Delta variant was first detected in India in October 2020. Currently India is the variant’s hotspot responsible for over eighty-one percent (81%) of the reported positive cases. On the other hand about Seventy-five percent (75%) has been reported for the neighbouring South Africa.
Responding to the Delta variant-19 surge at India some countries banned travels from and to India. Flights from India are currently suspended to Belgium, Canada, Hong Kong, Kuwait and Iran, among others. Germany, for example, has not halted flights, but only allows German residents and citizens to board them. Bangladesh, Nepal and Pakistan have closed air and land borders to arrivals from India.
