Covid-19 – Page 18 – Windhoek Observer

13 Aug

Prime Minister, Deputy PM in Corona scare

ObserverObserver MoneyCovid-19, Deputy Prime minister, George Simataa, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, Prime Minister, Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila, Secretary to Cabinet

Staff Writer Health minister, Kalumbi Shangula has revealed that Prime Minister Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila and Deputy Prime minister and Minister of International Relations, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah are currently self-isolating at their homes as part of COVID-19 precautionary measures. According the Health minister, the Prime Minister took the measures after coming into contact with a positive case, while Nandi-Ndaitwah self-isolated after a staff member at her ministry tested positive for COVID-19. “The Deputy Prime minister is also at home isolating. She did not test positive, but it’s because of the case of one of the staff members. The Prime Minister is also isolating…

13 Aug

Namibia reverts to stage 3 restrictions

ObserverObserver MoneyArandis, Covid-19, Okahandja, president Hage Geingob, Rehoboth, Swakopmund, Walvis Bay, Windhoek

Andrew Kathindi President Hage Geingob ordered that the country revert to stage 3 of the state of emergency lockdown starting Wednesday midnight 12 August, amid rising COVID-19 cases in the country, particularly Windhoek. The lockdown according to Geingob, will last for 16 days and as part of the new dispensation, measures which were applicable to Walvis Bay, Swakopmund and Arandis have now extended to Windhoek, Okahandja and Rehoboth. The new measures include a curfew on the mentioned local areas which will prohibit the movement of people between 20:00 to 05:00 daily. “These have not been easy decisions to take, but…

11 Aug

Ndeitunga calls for penalties on Corona spreaders

ObserverObserver MoneyCovid-19, General Sebastian Ndeitunga, NAMPOL

Andrew Kathindi Namibia Police (Nampol) Chief, General Sebastian Ndeitunga has called for stringent penalties to be imposed on those putting public lives at risk by knowingly spreading COVID-19. This comes as Namibia has witnessed increased cases where those with Covid-19 have knowingly left quarantine facilities and interacted with the public. In some cases, COVID-19 positive individuals have gone out on drinking and partying sprees, posing a health risk to hundreds of people, with the latest case being one involving a Windhoek-based male. “If a person knew or suspected that they are positive, the person is not supposed to spread it.…

07 Aug

Jobs are gone – what is the plan?

ObserverUncategorisedCovid-19, Namibia, NamPost

Jackie Wilson Asheeke The new normal means that an unknown number of jobs that are lost due to COVID-19 may never return. A few employers might take advantage of the pandemic to cut salaries or job categories permanently. Most jobs that will vanish will be an honest reflection of a shift in how some sectors do business. How will Namibia get ahead of this crisis in the making? What is the plan? Will we wait (as usual in Namibia) until we are in a crisis over permanent job losses? Or, will we make move to begin re-training programs and unemployment…

05 Aug

FNB donates Personal Protection Equipment

ObserverObserver MoneyCovid-19, FirstRand HOPE Fund, FNB Namibia, Namibia, Personal Protection Equipment, PPE

Staff Writer FNB Namibia, through its FirstRand HOPE Fund, donated 2500 Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) kits, valued at N$810 000 to the Ministry of Health and Social Services. Erwin Tjipuka, CEO of FNB Namibia during the handover ceremony said that the banking Group was concerned about the increase in the number of COVID-19 cases in Namibia and the negative impact the pandemic has on the Namibian economy and society at large. He expressed the hope that the donation of PPE kits would assist in the further prevention of the spread of Covid-19 while protecting frontline staff, while ultimately contributing towards…

05 Aug

‘Complicated’ COVID-19 guidelines boots recoveries

ObserverObserver MoneyCovid-19, Ministry of Health and Social Services

Andrew Kathindi The recently introduced new de-isolation policy by the Ministry of Health and Social Services policy has boosted the country’s recovery figures, with a record 345 new COVID-19 recoveries having been recorded in one day as announced on Wednesday. According to the new de-isolation guidelines, which are in line with international recommendations from World Health Organization (WHO) and Center for Disease Control (CDC), state once a patient has been infected with COVID-19 for ten days and their symptoms have resolved, there is no risk that the virus can still be spread to other people. As a result, people who…

04 Aug

Haufiku firing wastes scarce resources

ObserverNational NewsCovid-19, Walvis Bay

The firing of former health minister, Dr Bernard Haufiku from his post on the pandemic Task Team is a waste of limited resources. At a time when there are insufficient healthcare workers to assist where needed in Namibia, a top medical expert has been kicked to the curb. Was that the only option or just the easiest one? The final clash between the current minister of health Kalumbi Shangula and his predecessor was predictable. The strain between the two parties was evident from previous conflicting comments. Haufiku’s demonstrated method is to tackle issues straight on. He seems to speak his…

04 Aug

I regret nothing – Haufiku

ObserverObserver MoneyCovid-19, Dr Bernard Haufiku, Health Minister Kalumbi Shangula

Andrew Kathindi Dr Bernard Haufiku maintains that he regrets nothing, after being fired as Special Advisor on Health Matters in the Office of the Vice President by President Hage Geingob. This as it emerged Health Minister Kalumbi Shangula had written to the President requesting for Haufiku’s removal from the national COVID-19 response team on the grounds that his presence had become untenable and that he was too self-righteous and not a team player and as a result has become impossible to work with. According to Haufiku in one of his dismissal letter attachments delivered to him by Vice President Nangolo…

31 Jul

Lessons drawn from the Twaloloka catastrophe

ObserverUncategorisedCovid-19, Twaloloka

Observatory: Clementine Tjameya It is devastating the amount of catastrophic events that can happen in just a week. The past week has been nothing but a string of unfortunate events for our country. For starters, there is the Twaloloka shack fire that left everyone in dismay on behalf of those who were affected. Then there are homicide cases and a suicide case, and to top it all off, Covid-19 cases are spiking like a forest fire. The Namibian Director for the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Eric Dzluban said yesterday that the rise in cases is very likely…

31 Jul

New measures for Stage 4 . . . as tourist quarantine conditions revised

ObserverObserver MoneyArandis, Covid-19, Stage 4, Swakopmund, Walvis Ba

Andrew Kathindi President Hage Geingob has declared new measures for stage 4 lockdown restrictions as COVID-19 cases continue to rise across the country. While the rest of the country will remain under Stage 4 of the lockdown state of emergency restrictions, Erongo Region and the towns of Walvis Bay, Swakopmund and Arandis will remain unchanged in Stage 3 until midnight on Monday 31 August. As for the other 14 regions, public gatherings have been reduced from 250 to 100 persons, along with a list of new measures to help battle the spread of COVID-19, including the suspension of face-to-face teaching…