Top Officials Rumoured To Be In Quarantine

Government sources indicate that several senior ministers are in quarantine for Covid-19 after returning from an official visit to Namibia ten days ago.

Reports suggest that Home Affairs Minister Stephen Kampyongo, Foreign Affairs Minister Joe Malanji and Permanent Secretary to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Chalwe Lombe are all being isolated. 

The trio went to Namibia to attend the inauguration ceremony of President Hage Geingob. It is believed that an infected person also attended the event, forcing the government officials to go into isolation as a precautionary measure. 

The rumours follow a telephone conversation between Health Minister Dr Chitalu Chilufya and Vice President Inonge Wina in which the minister announced that “some PSs and even higher ranking government officials than PS” were in quarantine. He was apparently unaware that members of the press were listening to the call.

It is currently not known whether any of the ministers have in fact been infected with the virus. 

Several commentators have expressed their disapproval with the government for keeping such information from the public. Laura Miti, a campaigner for public accountability and chief executive of the Alliance for Community Action, brought the government to task on Twitter.

“The discovery by the public yesterday that Minister Chitalu is keeping Covid 19 info from the public damaged the trust he has gained so far & fuelled the rumour mill. If we know a house helper/driver are unwell, we should openly be told abt a PS or Minister too. Big mistake,” she wrote.