Namibians will no longer have to wear masks in public places. This, along with a number of other relaxations around Covid measures was announced by President Hage Geingob earlier this week.
Foreigners will also no longer have to have a PCR test before arriving in the country. The limit on gatherings has also been relaxed, with 1 000 people now allowed to attend events, rather than 500.
Although the wearing of masks is no longer mandatory people using public transport and when meeting indoors will still be encouraged to wear masks.
Namibia’s relaxation of rules comes as South Africa’s government has yet again extended the state of disaster, meaning it has been in place for two years.
The continuation of the state of disaster was reportedly so that the government could finalise legislation to continue to manage the Covid-19 pandemic.
Professor Shabir Madhi, who had advised the government in the early stages of the crisis, criticised the decision, saying that the government had no understanding of the pandemic.