Call to close Oshikango border post

People living at Oshikango are calling for the closure of the border post to prevent the spread of the deadly coronavirus between Namibia and Angola. Traders have also called for hand-washing facilities at the entrance to the town's open market. Two Romanian tourists tested positive for Covid-19 over the weekend. Since then, several border posts have been closed and all travel to high-risk countries has been suspended.“The government must do something about the free movement of people to and from Angola, due to the pandemic. If other borders are closed, why not this one as well?” asked Mee Kukengwa. “People are just roaming freely and we are not feeling safe at all. “The border should be closed with immediate effect.”A vendor at the Oshikango open market, Elly Hamukonda, said they share the market with Angolan nationals and feel unsafe.“Every day these Angolans go back to their country and return the following day. We don't know if they are safe when they come back. “The government is not clear as to where exactly the disease is coming from and we are only hearing that it is being transmitted country to country by the movements of people,” Hamukonda said. An Angolan vendor, Anita Kambinda, suggested that they need a facility for washing hands at the entrance of the open market.“Everybody that enters or leaves the open market needs to wash their hands to make sure that the disease does not spread among people at the market,” said Kambinda.No case of Covid-19 has been reported in Angola yet.Although the authorities say people are screened at the border post, there is no quarantine facility at Oshikango. The health screening takes place in a building shared by immigration and customs officials.ILENI NANDJATO

Call to close Oshikango border post

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Namibian Sun 2026-04-08

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Call to close Oshikango border post

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Namibian Sun 2026-04-08

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