Parliament affirms COVID-19 regulations

The National Assembly on Thursday night affirmed a continuation of the Emergency Powers COVID-19 statutory instruments that were promulgated last year to accompany the State of Public Emergency.

The previous night, March 31, Parliament had extended the State of Public Emergency by six months effective April 1 until September 30 before spending the following day discussing whether to affirm or make amendments to its accompanying regulations.

After an exhaustive debate that lasted the entire day, MPs affirmed the existing statutory instruments along with the amendments that had previously been made.

During the debate, Vice President, Mr Slumber Tsogwane said continuity was important in the battle against COVID-19, and the President, on the advice of the COVID-19 Presidential Task Force and Cabinet, would keep assessing what regulations to amend.

The State of Emergency did not stop government from easing restriction on business trading hours and numbers of customers, or on social gatherings, but this would be assessed given the extent of the disease burden at a given time, he said.

Mr Tsogwane also said current regulations had thus far assisted the country to have less than one per cent of population dying from COVID-19 over the past year and a testing rate of about 41 per cent of the population.

For her part, the Minister of Environment, Natural Resources, Conservation and Tourism, Ms Philda Kereng, said exceptions could be made from certain regulations in particular areas in order to boost business.

She said an early announcement of travel restrictions ahead of holidays could save tourist businesses from incurring losses, and where possible, testing could be conducted and people allowed to travel in order to boost domestic tourism.

Minister of Mineral Resources, Green Technology and Energy Security, Mr Lefoko Moagi, said it was important for a strict adherence to COVID-19 protocols across the board, but businesses also needed to be revived and ways needed to be found to start gradually relaxing trade related restrictions.

Leader of the Opposition, Maun West MP, Mr Dumelang Saleshando, moved to introduce some amendments to the statutory instruments.

He said since the current regulations suspended the retrenchments or dismissal of private sector employees; the same should be extended to government, which he said should also not be allowed to fire workers until after the State of Emergency period.

Mr Saleshando also asked Parliament to include an amendment to Statutory Instrument 61, to inset a clause that allowed for tourism and hospitality businesses that had received prior bookings, if inter-zonal travel was cancelled at a late hour to be allowed a hearing and the chance to gain compensation.

Another amendment sought by Mr Saleshando was for the statutory instruments to allow for parliamentary and council bye-elections to take place.

But, Parliament did not approve of the amendments and adopted to affirm the existing regulations with their previous amendments.

Source: Daily News http://www.dailynews.gov.bw/news-details.php?nid=61700