Outjo takes strict measures against Covid-19

THE municipality of Outjo has announced strict measures to combat the spread of the novel coronavirus at the Kunene region town.

The office of the municipality’s chief executive officer, Josef /Urib, has informed residents of the town in a public notice that recreation facilities at the town will be closed, bookings for the use of public council facilities will be cancelled, vendors and hawkers would not be allowed to sell their goods in front of shops, and that all bars and restaurants should implement a buy-and-go strategy.

Outjo residents are also being encouraged to pay their municipal accounts through electronic fund transfers (EFT) or direct bank deposits. The municipality’s cash hall will be open from 08h00 to 16h00 on weekdays for residents who are unable to make payments through EFTs or bank deposits.

Residents are further encouraged to practise good personal hygiene, wash their hands frequently with soap and water, cover their mouth when sneezing and maintain a distance of one metre from other people.

While enquiries with the municipality should be done by telephone, the municipal offices would still be open for pressing issues which require one-on-one consultation, the town’s residents have also been informed.

Some bar owners that The Namibian spoke to welcomed the buy-and-go strategy, saying it’s one of the strictest measures yet taken by any local authority. "We will uphold it,”said one bar owner at the town.

A community activist, Rosalia /Gawases, also welcomed the measures, but noted that toilets in the informal settlements at Outjo are unhygienic and some areas don’t have toilets. /Gawases also said that most water point standpipes are broken. "Lack of toilets and standpipes make it risky for the informal settlements’ residents. We need running water in each household,”said the outspoken /Gawases, who has led numerous public demonstrations for better living conditions in the town’s informal settlements.

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