The coronavirus crisis in Swaziland (eSwatini) is in
danger of spreading
like ‘wild fires’ in part of the kingdom, Prime Minister Ambrose Dlamini
warned.
Teams are to be sent from door-to-door in an attempt to
find cases, test, treat, isolate and trace contacts, he announced on Friday (10
July 2020).
Despite the spread, schools will continue to reopen,
some businesses will be taken out of lockdown and some sports will be able to
start again. Churches are set to reopen.
In a statement
Dlamini said, ‘It took the Kingdom two months to reach 600 cases and only 20
days to reach 1,200 infections.’ There have now been 17 deaths from coronavirus
(COVID-19). He said this had set off ‘alarm bells’ among the people of
Swaziland.
He said, ‘We are dealing with an ever evolving enemy
which is always ready to strike and we have no other option but to keep up our
guard and pace of intervention. This will, inevitably, be a long road to travel
and certainly a marathon, not a sprint to the finish line.’
He said there were ‘hotspots’ of infections in the Manzini
region and parts of Hhohho. The Lubombo
and Shiselweni regions had clusters with a high potential to turn into ‘wild
fires’ if not urgently attended to, he added.
He announced, ‘The Ministry of Health will soon embark
on a “Door to Door Campaign” contained in a six point plan to halt the spread
of COVID-19, starting in the Manzini and Hhohho regions and eventually
spreading throughout the country. This plan will focus on education, finding
cases, testing, treating, isolating and tracing contacts.’
Despite the increase in cases he said the Swazi
Government would start a phased reopening of sporting activities. From Monday
(13 July 2020) angling, athletics, cricket, cue sports, cycling, darts, equestrian,
golf, shooting, tennis and teqball would be allowed if strict health conditions
were met. Spectators would not be allowed.
Dlamini said more businesses would also open from Monday
and churches would be able to open with reduced numbers in the congregation from
19 July.
Meanwhile, the
Industrial Court has still to decide on an application from the Swaziland
National Association of Teachers (SNAT) to force the government to halt the
reopening of schools that started on Monday (6 July 2020). SNAT says it is not
yet safe for pupils to return.
See also
Coronavirus
cases in Swaziland hit record level, 10 pc of tests come back positive
Swaziland
Govt. halts food aid to many elderly people as coronavirus crisis grows
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