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Political play should be out if we are serious to address Covid-19 in the three coastal towns – PDM

Political play should be out if we are serious to address Covid-19 in the three coastal towns – PDM

Issued by Manuel Ngaringombe, PDM Secretary General.

The PDM has learned with great concern the way government is managing the outbreak of COVID 19 pandemic in the coastal towns of our country.

It is a very known fact that COVID 19 is more of a public health problem rather than political and should be handled as such.

It is also a known fact that politicians have a mandate to create conducive supporting system for the public health personnel to be able to do their job in saving lives of those threatened by any pandemic.

However it is disturbing that while the head of state has place the coastal towns on stage one of the State of Emergency due to the fast spread of the virus , those with the responsibility to manage the situation are not able or capacitated to do their job effectively.

In this phase employees should work from home except those in essential services. ‘These has cause many employees losing their jobs temporally, permanently or getting up to 50% salary cut.

This is affecting many inhabitants of the coastal towns as they don’t have the means to support their families, paying their debts and these are resulting in other psychological problems.

Hence government is expecting those in quarantine or isolation centres to take care of themselves by providing their own food, toiletries and other necessities. This is resulting in suspected contacts of Covid-19 not alerting the health authorities of their whereabouts and they become a possible risk of infections to others in their contact.

It is also reported that some patients who tested positive to COVID 19 are send for self-isolation and go back to their families, with a possibility of infecting them.

There is also a report of scarcity of quarantine and isolation centres and lack of proper treatment of those in the centres. We are witnessing the political blame shifting between the regional and local authority councillors on the matter which is very disturbing.

It was also shocking to the PDM that there was no consultation with community on the burial of those who died of Covid 19 related death at the Narraville extension 7 gravesite, of the Walvisbay municipality.

PDM is therefore calling for all those in authority to respect the bodies of those who succumbed to the pandemic and to make sure that they get a respectful funeral.

Families of the dead should be allowed to mourn their loved ones and to bury them at the grave yards of their choice. ‘We had witnessed recently in South Africa that the late ambassador Mandela was laid at the family graveyard, why the isolation and stigmatisation of those dying from the causes of Covid 19 in Namibia.

PDM is calling for the government delegation to the Coast to address proper systems in place to save the region from the deadly pandemic. PDM is demanding for the Emergency Income Grant (EIG) to the resident of Walvis Bay, Swakopmund and Arandis.

We are also demanding for the immediate ban of foreign sea vessels to land at Walvis Bay harbour and call upon the fishing companies to respect the non-entrance of foreign nationals in our country during this period.

The people of Walvis Bay, Swakopmund Arandis and partly Henties Bay are robbed of living a quality health and social life and therefore need government earnest approach to their plight.

PDM is calling upon government to not play Covid19 pandemic to overshadow the Fish rot saga that has already cause a huge burden to the coastal community, but rather address the challenge of Covid 19 honestly with determination and commitment to the people of the coastal towns.

 


Statement published verbatim – Ed.


 

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