Botswana’s President, Mokgweetsi Eric Keabetswe Masisi
GABORONE, April 24 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Botswana’s president and vice president have been released from home quarantine after testing negative for COVID-19.
The presidency in a statement said: “Director of Health Services has released His Excellency, Dr Mokgweetsi Eric Keabetswe Masisi, President of the Republic and Vice President Slumber Tsogwane from home quarantine 23rd April 2020.
“This follows the release of their COVID 19 test results which came out negative Wednesday,” the statement by presidential spokesperson Batlhalefi Leagajang said.
“All members of parliament have tested negative for COVID-19 and they are being released from quarantine,” Kereng Masupu, coordinator of the COVID-19 Presidential Task Force, told a news briefing.
On April 9, all members of the legislature including the president and vice were admitted to home quarantine after a nurse on duty at the parliament tested positive for the virus.
A day after the order, some unnamed MPs were arrested and put in institutional quarantine for breaching self-quarantine rules. They were pictured in shopping malls at a time they were meant to be in quarantine.
Botswana, currently under a state of emergency and lockdown has 22 confirmed cases to date (April 23), one death has been recorded with zero recoveries. The overall test tally stands at 5,023 people.
Meanwhile, Masisi has dismissed the permanent secretary in the ministry of health and his deputy with immediate effect, the presidency said in a statement.
The dismissals of permanent secretary Solomon Sekwakya and deputy permanent secretary Morrison Sinvula were effected on April 21, the statement continued, without giving a reason for their removal or elaborating further.
Sekwakwa describes himself as an economist on his LinkedIn. He was transferred to the health ministry from the ministry of finance in November 2019. — NNN-AGENCIES
