Overview
Namibia reported its first case of COVID19 on March 13, 2020. Daily reported cases increased rapidly in late 2020 and early 2021 but stabilized in recent days. At the onset of the crisis, the government declared a national state of emergency and adopted containment measures, including social distancing, work from home initiatives (including suspension of the parliament for 21 days), lockdowns in some regions, and closures of all points of entry and comprehensive restrictions on cross-border travel. Many of these restrictions have been relaxed gradually, including the quarantine requirement for international travelers with negative PCR test results. In November 2020, the government paid US$1.6 million to acquire vaccine doses enough to vaccine 20 percent of the population through the COVAX Facility; and signed a financial commitment agreement for the remaining US$9.1 million. Namibia started its vaccination campaign on March 19, 2021, after receiving donations of the Sinopharm vaccine from China (100,000 doses) and Covishield vaccine (30,000 doses) from India. The first batch of vaccines through the COVAX Facility (24,000 doses) arrived on April 16, 2021 and the second batch of 43,000 doses on May 21, 2021.
Official Resources
- If you believe you have symptoms of COVID-19 or may have been exposed, please contact +264-0800-100-100 to seek direction from the Namibian Ministry of Health and Social Services.
- Namibian Ministry of Health and Social Services Facebook page.
- Namibian Presidency Facebook page.
- Namibian Ministry of Information and Communication Technology Facebook page.
COVID-19 Restrictions
Movement Restrictions:
- Is a curfew in place? Yes
- A nationwide curfew is in place between 10:00 pm and 4:00 am daily.
- Are there restrictions on intercity or interstate travel? Yes
- Starting June 16, entry and exit restrictions into the city have been put in place, including Okahandja and Rehoboth. (returning residents will be allowed)
Transportation Options:
- Are commercial flights operating? Yes
- Ethiopian Airlines and Eurowings offer international flights to and from Namibia. Air Link and West Air Aviation have commenced regional flights between Namibia and South Africa.
- Is public transportation operating? Yes
- Passengers must use masks in all public transportation, including taxis.
Fines for Non-Compliance:
- Any person presenting fake SARS COV-2 PCR test results will be prosecuted. Any non-Namibian who presents fake or forged SARS COV-2 PCR test results to an official at any Port of Entry, will be denied entry into Namibia and will be deported ant own cost.
- Non-compliance with Namibian Government regulations on COVID-19 will result in fines of $100,000.00 Namibian dollars or 10 years imprisonment.
Economic Measures
Key Policy Responses as of June 3, 2021
FISCAL
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On April 1 the government launched the Economic Stimulus and Relief Package to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 (8 billion Namibian Dollars, or 4.25 percent of GDP), including i) expenditure measures of 2.6 bn for health, wage subsidies for affected sectors, and income grants; and ii) guarantees of up to 2.3 bn to support low interest loans for small and agricultural businesses, and individuals. On June 15, the government announced it will extend the deadline of submitting Individual Income Tax returns from June 30 to September 30 (not the payment of taxes due, which is still June 30). In August the Bank of Namibia announced it will participate in the operationalization of the loan guarantee program, providing 50 million Namibian dollars in capital targeted to SME credit.
MONETARY AND MACRO-FINANCIAL
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The central bank reduced the policy rate by 25 basis points to 3.75 percent on August 19, 2020 (250 bps total since the state of emergency was declared). On March 26, the central bank announced changes in the financial sector and its regulatory setting, including i) allowing banks to grant loan payment moratorium (payment holidays) ranging from 6 to 24 months, ii) regulatory and policy relief changes, such as relaxing the determination on liquidity risk management, reducing the capital conservation buffer rate to 0 percent for at least 24 months to support banking institutions to supply credit, and postponing the effective date of implementation of the 25 percent single borrower limit and concentration risk limit.
Civic Freedom Tracker
PROCLAMATION NO. 7 DECLARING A STATE OF EMERGENCY
The proclamation institutes a national "state of emergency" under Article 26(5) of the Namibian Constitution, on account of the coronavirus pandemic. (See primary source or citation here)
Type: order
Date Introduced: 18 Mar 2020
Issue(s): Emergency
STATE OF EMERGENCY COVID 19 REGULATIONS, 2020
The regulations among other provisions impose a two-week nationwide "lockdown" from March 27, with restrictions on individual movement. The regulations also prohibit gatherings of 10 or more people, and provide that anyone who violates the prohibition is subject to a penalty of six months in prison and a N$2,000 fine. (See primary source or citation here)
Type: regulation
Date Introduced: 28 Mar 2020
Issue(s): Assembly, Movement
