GABORONE, May 7 (Xinhua) -- Botswana's parliament approved that the southern African country would start easing its lockdown restrictions on May 8 as the nation begins opening economic activities.
All the country's 63 legislators approved the proposed return to work guidelines on Thursday during an emergency parliamentary meeting held in Gaborone, Botswana's capital city.
"Business resumes at 25 percent capacity as of May 8, 2020 to May 15, 2020," reads part of the workplace restrictions protocol published on Thursday, adding that church and funeral gatherings will now be limited to a maximum of 50 people.
The workplace restrictions protocol further stated that business is expected to resume at 50 percent capacity as of May 15 to May 22 and resuming at 100 percent from May 22 depending on the southern African country's containment of the global pandemic.
"The easing of COVID-19 restrictions is expected to be fully phased out when businesses are scheduled to start resuming at 100 percent capacity unless directed by the Director of Health Services (in Botswana's health and wellness ministry)," said Botswana's Health and Wellness Minister Lemogang Kwape.
Other guidelines expected to be respected are social distancing, washing hands with soap and running water while wearing of face masks has become mandatory especially in public places.
Any suspected cases of COVID-19 should be referred to the health sector, the workplace restrictions protocol stated.
Botswana has 23 confirmed cases of the endemic COVID-19 of which one resulted in death.
However, nine people have recovered from the disease, something that has given the southern African country's administration a leeway to start phasing out the lockdown. Enditem
