Coronavirus: Botswana confident to win pandemic fight

01 Mai 2020

Gaborone, Botswana, May 1 (Infosplusgabon) - Botswana is confident the country will triumph over the COVID-19 pandemic, President Mokgweetsi Masisi said on Friday in an address to commemorate International Labour Day.

“We are optimistic that we shall win the battle against COVID 19. Our factory machines shall grind again, our productive forces shall once again get back to work and contribute meaningfully towards the rebuilding of our economy,” he said.

President Masisi urged the country’s labour force to remain committed and give everything their all and ensure that the country rises again.

Masisi reiterated that his government is committed to the welfare of workers, citing measures that have been put in place to cushion workers and companies during the on-going national lockdown.

Botswana has crafted a wage subsidy fund and a loan guarantee scheme for companies to ramp up production or cushion their cash-flow during the on-going lockdown.

“This strategy will ensure that workers do not lose their jobs and companies do not collapse during this crisis. Similarly, government is working on an economic stimulus package that will be implemented post the COVID-19 virus,” Masisi said.

With 23 positive cases of COVID-19, Botswana has recorded one death and eight recoveries.

Meanwhile Botswana Federation of Public Private and Parastatal Sector Unions (BOFEPUSU) says the pandemic has exposed the country's fragile and weak economic status.

“This pandemic has proven to us that this Republic has a lot to do to claim its sovereignty as an economically and politically independent state. As a country we need to be serious and effective in our measures for recovery and sustainability with more focus on vulnerable groups such as low paid workers, self-employed, information sector, small medium micro enterprises,” said the Federation’s President Johannes Tshukudu.

FIN/ INFOSPLUSGABON/DSX/GABON2020

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