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Botswana President Wants to Extend COVID-19 State of Emergency to Six Months

Mqondisi Dube

   GABORONE - Botswana's president has proposed extending a state of
   emergency in the southern African country to last six months. President
   Mokgweetsi Masisi says the measure is needed because people are not
   complying with restrictions on movement to prevent the spread of the
   coronavirus. Critics worry the plan, if initiated, would put too much
   power in the hands of the president.

   Botswana's parliament will convene on Wednesday to deliberate on
   Masisi's proposal.

   The presidentwants the state of emergency, declared last week in
   reaction to the outbreak of the coronavirus, to last six months.

   Initially, Masisi had announced a 28-day lockdown period after the
   southern African country recorded its first six coronavirus cases,
   including one death, last week.

   "I will cause, therefore, to be a meeting of parliament at which I will
   seekthe endorsement of parliamentto extend the state of public
   emergency for a total period of six months, for the single purpose of
   dealing with COVID-19, totally based on the signs available and the
   advice we got from our experts," he said.

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