Namibia Caps Gatherings At 10 As It Scrambles To Curtail Virus

Namibia caps gatherings at 10 as it scrambles to curtail virus

Windhoek, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 16th Jun, 2021 ) :Namibia on Tuesday drastically limited the number allowed at public gathers to 10 as it scrambled to contain an exponential jump in new coronavirus infections that is nearly overwhelming hospitals.

"The situation has ...taken a turn for the worst," over the past four weeks, President Hage Geingob said in an address to the nation.

Officials have recorded huge increase in the number of cases, hospitalisations and deaths in the country of 2.5 million people.

The country has the second highest average number of new cases per million population per day, after the Seychelles according to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC).

"We must take steps to stem these worrying trends," said Geingob, who last month contracted the virus together with his wife.

His deputy and the speaker of the national assembly have also been infected, together with their spouses.

Under the new restrictions, only 10 people will be allowed to gather at any event, and its length is restricted to no more than two hours if held indoors.

Face-to-face learning in schools is suspended and all contact sports prohibited.

Movement in and out of the capital Windhoek, which has recorded 52 percent of the country's total cases, will also be restricted.

The new measures will last until June 30.

The country has recorded a total of 67,021, with more than 1,200 cases recorded on Tuesday. So far, it has killed 1,040 people.