Botswana’s President Mokgweetsi Masisi has been placed in mandatory self-isolation after testing positive for COVID-19 in routine testing, a government spokesperson said on Monday, reported Reuters.
“The president does not have any symptoms and will continue to receive close medical monitoring by his medical doctors,” John-Thomas Dipowe, acting permanent secretary for Government Communications, said in a statement.
The statement added that Botswana’s Vice President Slumber Tsogwane will take over the president’s responsibilities until further notice while Masisi is in isolation.
The 60-year-old Masisi first took office as president in 2018, taking over from Ian Khama, who stepped down after two terms in office. He was re-elected as Botswana’s president in 2019.
Omicron, a highly contagious variant with multiple mutations, was first identified in Botswana and South Africa in late November. It was first classified by the World Health Organization (WHO) on November 26 as a “variant of concern.”
It is causing a new wave of pandemic around the world as it has already spread to about 100 countries. It is highly contagious and is affecting both vaccinated people and those who have already been infected with the virus.
While many countries have imposed strict health restrictions, with record numbers of new infections reported daily, South Africa announced this week that it had passed the peak of the Omicron wave and eased health restrictions.
The number of new coronavirus infections has increased sharply in Botswana to an average of 2500 every three days from less than 300 over the same period before the detection of Omicron. The government has managed to fully vaccinate 71 percent of its eligible population of around 1.3 million people.
Late last month, Botswana’s government said the health authorities would start to administer booster doses while the age limit for vaccination was reduced from 18 years to 12 years.
