Rustenburg – Air Namibia is ready to charter a plane to bring Namibians stranded in South Africa home, The Namibian newspaper reported on Friday.
According to a report in the daily newspaper, two aircraft with the capacity to carry from 37 to 112 passengers at a time were on standby and ready to fly from any airport in South Africa that was classified as an international airport and for commercial use.
“The Ministry of Industrialisation and Trade issued to us a certificate to operate during the lockdown period, delivering essential services as per the Government Proclamation No. 9, classified as transportation, logistics and storage,” the airline’s head of corporate communication Paul Nakawa told the daily.
The newspaper reported this week that the Namibian embassy in Pretoria was facilitating the repatriation of about 20 Namibians who want to return home.
Meanwhile, daily newspaper The Sun reported that the Ministry of Home Affairs, Safety and Security has decided to open the northern border to Angolans seeking medical treatment.
Chief of immigration Nehemia Nghishekwa sent out a directive stressing that strict measures have been put in place to minimise the risk of spreading the coronavirus.
Health facilities in the Ohangwena, Omusati, Kunene, Kavango East and West regions are now required to attend to Angolan patients seeking treatment in Namibia.
“Angolan nationals, particularly those classified as border residents living along the border with Namibia, will be lawfully allowed to enter Namibia on condition of seeking medical attention, which means visiting the hospital, collection of repeat medication or examination,” Nghishekwa told the daily.
Patients should enter and exit the country at official border posts and must present themselves for medical screening for the coronavirus and possible quarantine.
Namibia has recorded 16 coronavirus cases, with four recoveries, while Angola has registered 19 cases, with two deaths and five recoveries.
The coronavirus that causes Covid-19 was first recorded in Wuhan, the capital of Central China’s Hubei province, in December of 2019 and rapidly spread to other parts of the world.
There are more than 2.1 million confirmed cases worldwide, with over 147,000 deaths and over 555,000 recoveries.