The Prime Minister, Dr Moeketsi Majoro has on Tuesday night announced the country’s return to Orange colour coding stage as per COVID-19 Risk Determination and Mitigation Framework starting midnight of Tuesday, January 05, 2021.
This announcement came hardly 5 days after the country moved back to Purple colour coding stage which allows for instance, the full capacity of passengers for all buses and taxis but all should wear masks, gatherings allow a maximum of 50 people for indoors and 100 for outdoors.
Dr Majoro said the decision by Cabinet for the country to immediately move back to Orange colour stage followed the meeting with experts regarding the coronavirus outbreak in the country.
Moving back to Orange colour coding stage means the country will again be exposed to harder COVI-19 restrictions that include among others; closing of schools, closing of businesses like restaurants, taverns and hair salons. Social/family gatherings are restricted. Indoor church services are not allowed while outdoor services allow a maximum of 50 people and the service should last for one hour. Masks must be worn all the time including when singing.
The Prime Minister said the cabinet decision also included the closing of schools immediately after the re-opening on Monday, 04 January, saying this is aimed at protecting learners for being infected as COVID-19 pandemic positive cases are reported to be rising so rapidly.
In another decision, the Cabinet has introduced a curfew effective from Wednesday, January 06. The curfew starts from 05:00 am to 20:00 pm.
Dr Majoro further announced that the police and military will be deployed countrywide to enforce COVID-19 regulations especially wearing of masks, saying for a long time, people failed to comply to this regulations despite the publication of the Public Health COVID-!9 restrictions and the World Health Organisation (WHO) protocols.
The Prime Minister has therefore appealed to the nation to change their behaviour thus observe COVID-19 recommendations and regulations so to protect themselves from this deadly pandemic.
According to NACOSEC report of January 02, so far, the country has conducted 33, 345 tests with 3, 206 registered positive cases and 65 recorded deaths.
The COVID-19 Risk Determination and Mitigation Framework for colour coded stages of the COVID-19 pandemic serve as a guide for decision making for the Government of Lesotho to manage and control the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic in order to protect all citizens and residents from needless deaths.
By Staff Reporters: Noliwe Velaphe and Maphoka Likotsi