Schools in Botswana to close as virus cases rise

Schools in Botswana will close on Friday until Aug 16 as the country battles its deadliest COVID-19 wave, revealed Mokgweetsi Masisi, Botswana's president, in an address to the nation on Tuesday.

During the televised address, Masisi said the country found itself in a dire situation of rapidly rising cases and inadequate vaccines. The president added that his government would prioritize vaccinating teachers during the closure of schools as the virus has shown to be widespread in schools.

The president also told the nation that COVID-19 has severely battered the country's economy and there is no sign of a quick recovery. He called on everyone to remain vigilant of the situation and do their best to contain the spread of the virus.

According to the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Botswana has registered a total of 80,153 confirmed cases and 1,253 deaths. Active cases reached an all-time high of 8,970 with an average of more than 1,000 daily cases in the past three days.

Mogomotsi Matshaba, Botswana's presidential COVID-19 task team scientific advisor, said the Delta variant's rise is a major concern in the country and routine random genomic testing of 90 samples had revealed that 68 percent of them were the Delta variant.

"This means that the Delta variant has started going up in the country. The Beta variant accounted for 80 percent of cases from December up to the present time and we expect Delta to rise higher," Matshaba said.

Like many African countries, Botswana is facing a challenge of vaccine shortage. Although the uncertain availability of vaccines makes it difficult for the country's vaccine rollout plan to go on smoothly, the government remains hopeful to have all those eligible vaccinated by the end of next year.