Killer invades Namibian House
While the Romanian couple who brought the coronavirus into Namibia remain quarantined, the government is desperately trying to determine who they came into contact with in the country before they tested positive for the deadly virus.
The presidency has reiterated that “big gatherings” include funerals, church services, concerts, sport matches, schools and universities, which form part of President Hage Geingob's 30-day suspension directive, as the country goes into lockdown after two cases of the deadly coronavirus were confirmed in Namibia over the weekend. Yesterday afternoon the Namibia National Teachers Union (Nantu) confirmed that the outcome of a high-level interministerial meeting was that all school activities would be suspended in order to ensure the health and safety of teachers and learners, and to ensure that the coronavirus does not spread further.
Nantu also urged their members and the public to stay away from large gatherings. Acting education minister Martin Andjaba confirmed that all public and private schools will be closed with immediate effect for all learners and teachers from today, with the new school term starting on 14 April. The College of the Arts, libraries, resource centres, museums, the National Art Gallery of Namibia and national literacy programmes are suspended with immediate effect. Furthermore, resources and school hostel management must make immediate arrangements for the collection and return of learners to their homes, said Andjaba.
“School management must ensure that learners are not left unattended until they are collected by their parents or guardians.”
State House spokesperson Dr Alfredo Hengari, told Namibian Sun yesterday there is a need to take precautionary measures as the two corona-infected tourists currently in isolation in Windhoek had been in contact with other people.
Therefore, all big gatherings in Namibia have been suspended.
He explained that big gatherings include church services, funerals, large meetings, football matches, schools and universities.
“As you can imagine, these measures have serious implications on our way of life and require adaption on the part of all affected sectors. The presidency pleads for vigilance and a high sense of responsibility and cooperation on the part of all stakeholders. Every effort is being made to ensure that the virus does not spread in communities. The health of Namibians remains the first priority of President Geingob,” Hengari said.
The City of Windhoek has also announced the 30-day closure of parks and recreation facilities such as the popular Paaltjies recreational area, public swimming pools, informal soccer fields, the Sam Nujoma Stadium and the Goreangab Dam recreational facility.
Tourism minister Pohamba Shifeta will tomorrow afternoon engage stakeholders on the impacts of the coronavirus on the sector and discuss the way forward.
The Teachers Union of Namibia (TUN) has given the government until Wednesday to take steps to ensure the safety of workers, or they will be calling for a national stayaway of civil servants.
The Namibia University of Technology (Nust) management said it is working towards putting various measures in place to ensure the safety of the campus community.
They said should it be deemed necessary to temporarily cancel face-to-face lectures and opt for online teaching and learning, where possible, this would be communicated by the end of yesterday to students and staff.
“The university is also considering to reschedule the midterm break to next week to allow academics to smoothly transition to an online learning environment.”
The final decisions will be made at an urgent meeting between management and key staff, students and the SRC tomorrow afternoon.
The University of Namibia (Unam) has also cancelled its planned vacation school between 16 and 20 March as a precautionary measure.
Unam therefore requested all distance-mode students not to travel to their respective open, distance and e-learning centres or Unam campuses, as per the usual arrangements for vacation schools. All online tests scheduled will continue as planned, while tests that were planned to be written manually will be rescheduled to be administered online at a later date.
Meatco cancels tours
Meatco said yesterday that all abattoir visits or tours have been suspended until 30 May.
Meatco will no longer accept members of the public or educational institution visits.
The Meatco abattoir processes meat products to niche markets and at this point it is important to manage and ensure that the factory is not exposed to high risks situations, the company said.
High drama
There was high drama on Saturday when the health ministry confirmed the first two cases of the deadly coronavirus in Namibia. These were two Romanian tourists who had shown no signs of the disease when they were scanned at the Hosea Kutako International Airport upon arrival on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, people have been flocking to shops and pharmacies since the confirmed cases to stock up on hand sanitisers and masks, leaving many empty shelves behind.
State House spokesperson Dr Alfredo Hengari told Namibian Sun yesterday that there was a need to take precautionary measures as the two tourists had been in contact with other people. Therefore, all big gatherings in Namibia have been suspended.
He explained that big gatherings include church services, funerals, large meetings, football matches, schools and universities.
Hengari said activities at schools in the Windhoek area and universities will therefore also be suspended, but the education ministry will communicate further details to that effect.
“The ministry of education will communicate imminently regarding the education sector; consultations with stakeholders are still ongoing. The interministerial technical committee met today (yesterday) in order to give effect to the measures taken and communicated by President Geingob.
“As you can imagine, these measures have serious implications on our way of life and require adaption on the part of all affected sectors. The presidency pleads for vigilance and a high sense of responsibility and cooperation on the part of all stakeholders. Every effort is being made to ensure that the virus does not spread in communities. The health of Namibians remains the first priority of President Geingob,” Hengari said.
Border breached
Health minister Dr Kalumbi Shangula on Saturday held a media briefing confirming that the coronavirus had reached Namibia. Shortly afterwards, State House called another urgent media conference where President Hage Geingob announced that the Independence Day celebrations had been cancelled.
Shangula said the positive Covid-19 results were received on Friday night at around 21:00.
The Romanian tourists had travelled to Namibia from Spain, where the coronavirus has already caused death and devastation.
According to him the tourist couple arrived via Doha in Qatar and arrived in Windhoek on Wednesday.
Shangula said upon arrival at the Hosea International Kutako airport the couple were screened like all other passengers and also completed travel declarations.
“The screening procedure did not reveal any signs to cause concern, such as high fever.”
Shangula said that same day one of the tourists consulted a private medical practice, complaining of a cough.
“The attending medical doctor, taking into account the travel history of the individual, determined that samples should be taken for confirmatory tests of the coronavirus.”
The specimens were sent to a private laboratory which in turn sent them for testing in South Africa.
The couple were immediately quarantined and contact tracing commenced. He said this will be intensified to ensure that all contacts are traced in order to protect Namibians and prevent community transmission.
He said the government would introduce additional measures in the coronavirus response, which would be announced as soon as they were finalised.
According to Shangula the World Health Organisation (WHO), the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention and SAADC have provided guidelines on response to the outbreak. These guidelines have guided Namibia's response to date. He said it is in the same spirit that the new guidelines are being contemplated.
He further stressed that health screenings at airports are mandatory and a health declaration is to be completed upon arrival at all Namibian points of entry.
“The declaration allows health authorities to contact travellers and their contacts should the need arise to do so.”
Hiding information
With regard to speculation that the ministry is hiding information regarding the coronavirus, the health minister stressed that this is not the case.
He said the ministry had committed to inform the nation of all suspected cases and the results of tests done in Namibia and South Africa.
“It is completely untrue that we are hiding information and we are calling on the public to desist from spreading untrue information and causing panic.”
Shangula added that they have no interest in not divulging information.
“But we know social media, there is a lot of untrue information.”
Independence celebrations cancelled
Meanwhile, President Geingob said the health of Namibians is the first priority and appropriate precautionary measures must be taken to protect Namibians against this virus.
“The independence celebrations that were scheduled for Independence Stadium are called off. However, the swearing-in ceremony will take place at State House,” said Geingob.
He further said the financial outlay for the independence celebrations would be diverted to the fight against the coronavirus.
Geingob said the Namibian government was suspending inbound and outbound travel to and from Qatar, Ethiopia and Germany with immediate effect for a period of 30 days.
All trips by Namibian government officials, including employees of state-owned enterprises, have also been suspended.
Windhoek Gymnasium lockdown
Geingob said all big gatherings are suspended for a period of 30 days and the Windhoek Gymnasium would be shut down for two weeks.
Shangula told Namibian Sun that the school was on lockdown because the Romanian couple, who were staying at a guesthouse in Windhoek, had apparently been in contact with a teacher.
Windhoek Gymnasium, however, in a message to parents denied that one of their teachers had been in contact with the couple. The school said the guesthouse belongs to the parents of a teacher, but she had no contact with them or the guesthouse and therefore learners were not at risk. It said the school would reopen on 30 March.
Meanwhile, the Windhoek Afrikaanse Privaatskool informed parents that it would take its term break earlier and close from 16 March to 29 March.
Workers' safety
TUN secretary-general Mahongora Kavihuha has urged teachers and children to stay away from schools from today.
The union gave the government until Wednesday to introduce safe working conditions for all civil servants.
He said the measures that should be put in place included providing masks and hand sanitisers and limiting contact with people.
If these measures were not introduced the union would urge other civil servants to stay away from work too.
Flight cancellations and other closures
Air Namibia temporarily suspended its Windhoek-Frankfurt- Windhoek route on Saturday for a period of 30 days.
The SW285 (Windhoek-Frankfurt) flight scheduled for Saturday evening did not take off, whereas the SW286 (Frankfurt-Windhoek) flight on Saturday night returned to base with passengers and all crew members.
“All crew members on the SW286 will be required to take forced leave (self-quarantine) as a precautionary measure.
“Air Namibia's Airbus A330 aircraft will be grounded for the next 30 days as a precaution to prevent the spread of COVID-19,” the airline said.
Air Namibia said all passengers on the affected flights would be refunded or offered the option of being re-routed through alternative and partner airlines.
The Gondwana Collection Namibia expressed sympathy with travellers whose holiday and travel plans are affected.
“As we are waiting for clarification and additional measures by the interministerial taskforce we will try to accommodate your needs in every way we can. Extraordinary times demand extraordinary measures. Gondwana is open for business, with heightened emphasis on hygiene, precautionary measures and warm Namibian hospitality as usual,” it said.
ELLANIE SMIT
Nantu also urged their members and the public to stay away from large gatherings. Acting education minister Martin Andjaba confirmed that all public and private schools will be closed with immediate effect for all learners and teachers from today, with the new school term starting on 14 April. The College of the Arts, libraries, resource centres, museums, the National Art Gallery of Namibia and national literacy programmes are suspended with immediate effect. Furthermore, resources and school hostel management must make immediate arrangements for the collection and return of learners to their homes, said Andjaba.
“School management must ensure that learners are not left unattended until they are collected by their parents or guardians.”
State House spokesperson Dr Alfredo Hengari, told Namibian Sun yesterday there is a need to take precautionary measures as the two corona-infected tourists currently in isolation in Windhoek had been in contact with other people.
Therefore, all big gatherings in Namibia have been suspended.
He explained that big gatherings include church services, funerals, large meetings, football matches, schools and universities.
“As you can imagine, these measures have serious implications on our way of life and require adaption on the part of all affected sectors. The presidency pleads for vigilance and a high sense of responsibility and cooperation on the part of all stakeholders. Every effort is being made to ensure that the virus does not spread in communities. The health of Namibians remains the first priority of President Geingob,” Hengari said.
The City of Windhoek has also announced the 30-day closure of parks and recreation facilities such as the popular Paaltjies recreational area, public swimming pools, informal soccer fields, the Sam Nujoma Stadium and the Goreangab Dam recreational facility.
Tourism minister Pohamba Shifeta will tomorrow afternoon engage stakeholders on the impacts of the coronavirus on the sector and discuss the way forward.
The Teachers Union of Namibia (TUN) has given the government until Wednesday to take steps to ensure the safety of workers, or they will be calling for a national stayaway of civil servants.
The Namibia University of Technology (Nust) management said it is working towards putting various measures in place to ensure the safety of the campus community.
They said should it be deemed necessary to temporarily cancel face-to-face lectures and opt for online teaching and learning, where possible, this would be communicated by the end of yesterday to students and staff.
“The university is also considering to reschedule the midterm break to next week to allow academics to smoothly transition to an online learning environment.”
The final decisions will be made at an urgent meeting between management and key staff, students and the SRC tomorrow afternoon.
The University of Namibia (Unam) has also cancelled its planned vacation school between 16 and 20 March as a precautionary measure.
Unam therefore requested all distance-mode students not to travel to their respective open, distance and e-learning centres or Unam campuses, as per the usual arrangements for vacation schools. All online tests scheduled will continue as planned, while tests that were planned to be written manually will be rescheduled to be administered online at a later date.
Meatco cancels tours
Meatco said yesterday that all abattoir visits or tours have been suspended until 30 May.
Meatco will no longer accept members of the public or educational institution visits.
The Meatco abattoir processes meat products to niche markets and at this point it is important to manage and ensure that the factory is not exposed to high risks situations, the company said.
High drama
There was high drama on Saturday when the health ministry confirmed the first two cases of the deadly coronavirus in Namibia. These were two Romanian tourists who had shown no signs of the disease when they were scanned at the Hosea Kutako International Airport upon arrival on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, people have been flocking to shops and pharmacies since the confirmed cases to stock up on hand sanitisers and masks, leaving many empty shelves behind.
State House spokesperson Dr Alfredo Hengari told Namibian Sun yesterday that there was a need to take precautionary measures as the two tourists had been in contact with other people. Therefore, all big gatherings in Namibia have been suspended.
He explained that big gatherings include church services, funerals, large meetings, football matches, schools and universities.
Hengari said activities at schools in the Windhoek area and universities will therefore also be suspended, but the education ministry will communicate further details to that effect.
“The ministry of education will communicate imminently regarding the education sector; consultations with stakeholders are still ongoing. The interministerial technical committee met today (yesterday) in order to give effect to the measures taken and communicated by President Geingob.
“As you can imagine, these measures have serious implications on our way of life and require adaption on the part of all affected sectors. The presidency pleads for vigilance and a high sense of responsibility and cooperation on the part of all stakeholders. Every effort is being made to ensure that the virus does not spread in communities. The health of Namibians remains the first priority of President Geingob,” Hengari said.
Border breached
Health minister Dr Kalumbi Shangula on Saturday held a media briefing confirming that the coronavirus had reached Namibia. Shortly afterwards, State House called another urgent media conference where President Hage Geingob announced that the Independence Day celebrations had been cancelled.
Shangula said the positive Covid-19 results were received on Friday night at around 21:00.
The Romanian tourists had travelled to Namibia from Spain, where the coronavirus has already caused death and devastation.
According to him the tourist couple arrived via Doha in Qatar and arrived in Windhoek on Wednesday.
Shangula said upon arrival at the Hosea International Kutako airport the couple were screened like all other passengers and also completed travel declarations.
“The screening procedure did not reveal any signs to cause concern, such as high fever.”
Shangula said that same day one of the tourists consulted a private medical practice, complaining of a cough.
“The attending medical doctor, taking into account the travel history of the individual, determined that samples should be taken for confirmatory tests of the coronavirus.”
The specimens were sent to a private laboratory which in turn sent them for testing in South Africa.
The couple were immediately quarantined and contact tracing commenced. He said this will be intensified to ensure that all contacts are traced in order to protect Namibians and prevent community transmission.
He said the government would introduce additional measures in the coronavirus response, which would be announced as soon as they were finalised.
According to Shangula the World Health Organisation (WHO), the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention and SAADC have provided guidelines on response to the outbreak. These guidelines have guided Namibia's response to date. He said it is in the same spirit that the new guidelines are being contemplated.
He further stressed that health screenings at airports are mandatory and a health declaration is to be completed upon arrival at all Namibian points of entry.
“The declaration allows health authorities to contact travellers and their contacts should the need arise to do so.”
Hiding information
With regard to speculation that the ministry is hiding information regarding the coronavirus, the health minister stressed that this is not the case.
He said the ministry had committed to inform the nation of all suspected cases and the results of tests done in Namibia and South Africa.
“It is completely untrue that we are hiding information and we are calling on the public to desist from spreading untrue information and causing panic.”
Shangula added that they have no interest in not divulging information.
“But we know social media, there is a lot of untrue information.”
Independence celebrations cancelled
Meanwhile, President Geingob said the health of Namibians is the first priority and appropriate precautionary measures must be taken to protect Namibians against this virus.
“The independence celebrations that were scheduled for Independence Stadium are called off. However, the swearing-in ceremony will take place at State House,” said Geingob.
He further said the financial outlay for the independence celebrations would be diverted to the fight against the coronavirus.
Geingob said the Namibian government was suspending inbound and outbound travel to and from Qatar, Ethiopia and Germany with immediate effect for a period of 30 days.
All trips by Namibian government officials, including employees of state-owned enterprises, have also been suspended.
Windhoek Gymnasium lockdown
Geingob said all big gatherings are suspended for a period of 30 days and the Windhoek Gymnasium would be shut down for two weeks.
Shangula told Namibian Sun that the school was on lockdown because the Romanian couple, who were staying at a guesthouse in Windhoek, had apparently been in contact with a teacher.
Windhoek Gymnasium, however, in a message to parents denied that one of their teachers had been in contact with the couple. The school said the guesthouse belongs to the parents of a teacher, but she had no contact with them or the guesthouse and therefore learners were not at risk. It said the school would reopen on 30 March.
Meanwhile, the Windhoek Afrikaanse Privaatskool informed parents that it would take its term break earlier and close from 16 March to 29 March.
Workers' safety
TUN secretary-general Mahongora Kavihuha has urged teachers and children to stay away from schools from today.
The union gave the government until Wednesday to introduce safe working conditions for all civil servants.
He said the measures that should be put in place included providing masks and hand sanitisers and limiting contact with people.
If these measures were not introduced the union would urge other civil servants to stay away from work too.
Flight cancellations and other closures
Air Namibia temporarily suspended its Windhoek-Frankfurt- Windhoek route on Saturday for a period of 30 days.
The SW285 (Windhoek-Frankfurt) flight scheduled for Saturday evening did not take off, whereas the SW286 (Frankfurt-Windhoek) flight on Saturday night returned to base with passengers and all crew members.
“All crew members on the SW286 will be required to take forced leave (self-quarantine) as a precautionary measure.
“Air Namibia's Airbus A330 aircraft will be grounded for the next 30 days as a precaution to prevent the spread of COVID-19,” the airline said.
Air Namibia said all passengers on the affected flights would be refunded or offered the option of being re-routed through alternative and partner airlines.
The Gondwana Collection Namibia expressed sympathy with travellers whose holiday and travel plans are affected.
“As we are waiting for clarification and additional measures by the interministerial taskforce we will try to accommodate your needs in every way we can. Extraordinary times demand extraordinary measures. Gondwana is open for business, with heightened emphasis on hygiene, precautionary measures and warm Namibian hospitality as usual,” it said.
ELLANIE SMIT
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