Business dips as Namibia battles COVID-19

Business dips in Windhoek following Namibia’s first two coronavirus cases on Saturday.

Small scale enterprises are lamenting of poor sales as people desert public places as precautionary measures.

“Personally for my job, it went down a bit, because the clients now don’t want to be in public places. I work in a salon and nobody wants to show up because it is crowded most of the time”, a barber said.

For Sylvia Ashipala “Our Namibia is a poor country and there is no medicine or vaccination. What will happen to us with this coronavirus, what can be done? If there is no medicine in the pharmacy? For example we work in the government, when we got to the pharmacy to buy pills, we are refused because the pharmacy says the government doesn’t pay, now who will help us? Our country has nothing, no vaccine, no pills.”

Namibia has joined a host of African countries that have taken drastic measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

Windhoek has shut down buildings like the National Gallery and libraries in a bid to prevent social gatherings. Notices posted to the premises said the facilities will be reopened on April 14.

AFP