Botswana President Mokgweetsi Masisi tested negative for coronavirus on Wednesday and has subsequently been released from home quarantine, reported Africa News.
Masisi went into a 14-day self-quarantine on March 21 after a visit to neighboring country Namibia where he attended the swearing-in ceremony of President Hage Geingob.
“The Office of the President wishes to inform the public that the Director of Health Services has released… (the) President of the Republic of Botswana from home quarantine with immediate effect,” said a statement on Wednesday.
The statement noted that Masisi’s release from home quarantine follows his COVID-19 test results that came out negative.
Four cases of the novel coronavirus have been detected so far in Botswana. One out of the four has died from the infection.
On Tuesday, President Masisi declared an indefinite state of emergency effective from Thursday, April 2.
“The return of some of our citizens and residents from high-risk countries has also escalated the threat of the virus in our country,” said Masisi. “Therefore, after consultations with the relevant stakeholders, it has become clear to me that it is necessary to declare a state of public emergency for the purpose of taking appropriate and stringent measures to address the risks posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.”
During the state of emergency, people have been banned from coming out of their homes except for essential services, such as food and medicine. The government has ordered the authorities to enforce social distancing for at least the next 28 days. Botswana’s National Assembly, however, would meet to decide the duration of the state of emergency.
The president also announced a range of measures to cushion the economic impact of the state of public emergency and the lockdown. The measures include a government wage subsidy for citizen employees of businesses most affected by Covid-19, to enable them to retain employees.
