The Ministry of Health and Wellness has said with effect from 23 February 2022, isolation period for Covid-19 positive people will be reduced to a minimum of five (5) days.
In a statement, the Ministry’s spokesperson Dr Christopher Nyanga explained that given the knowledge that has so far been gained and more that continues to be generated about COVID-19, Botswana has decided to adjust isolation period for COVID-19 positive people as follows:
He said all fully vaccinated people who test positive for COVID-19 will self-isolate for 5 days calculated from the date of testing, if they are asymptomatic or have mild symptoms.
“For those who are partially vaccinated or not vaccinated at all, but still asymptomatic or have mild symptoms, self-isolation period will be 7 days,” Nyanga said.
He said all people who test positive for COVID-19, experiencing moderate to severe symptoms, whether fully vaccinated or not, will be required to isolate for a minimum of 10 days. He said health care workers may use their discretion to extend the isolation period beyond 10 days where necessary, before medically discharging them.
“The ministry also wishes to inform members of the public that contact tracing and quarantine of contacts will no longer be implemented in the general population. Where necessary, health care workers may use their discretion to institute quarantine for exceptional cases such as congregate settings (prisons, boarding schools) or vulnerable populations (hospitalized patients, old age homes),” said Nyanga.
The ministry assured the public that easing COVID-19 protocols as has been happening in Botswana and elsewhere, does not mean that Covid-19 is no longer a threat.
“It only means that there is now more knowledge about the disease such that it can be better managed and allow increased economic activity without subjecting people to any further risk of disease transmission,” explained Nyanga.
