This archive report was first published on 13 June 2020.
Botswana's capital city Gaborone was placed under lockdown on Friday, June 12, after a significant increase in Covid-19 cases.
According to Health officials, the lockdown will remain in effect until further notice, starting from midnight on Friday.
Director of Public Health Malaki Tshipayagae announced that among the 12 new cases, four were imported cases reported at border posts while eight are local transmissions.
As part of the lockdown measures, contact tracing and testing of people who visited affected areas will begin immediately, with a period of extreme social distancing observed in the capital city and its immediate surroundings.
A local private hospital and a bank have been identified and shut down as areas where positive individuals had passed through.
Only essential service employees will be allowed to return to work during the lockdown period, while movement permits will be required for people to travel in the city.
The new cases bring the total number of confirmed Covid-19 cases in Botswana to 60 since the first case was reported in March.
