Botswana's health ministry has called on the public to continue adhering to health protocols aimed at containing COVID-19 in order to avoid a deterioration of the pandemic situation during the festive period.
The ministry noted that the country had recorded a spike in new infections last week compared to previous weeks, a situation worsened by the detection of the new Omicron variant.
"During the festive season, there is a high likelihood of planned and random social gatherings, both at family and community level. We urge Batswana and residents not to be complacent at this critical time, but remain more cautious, vigilant and strictly adhere to the set COVID-19 protocols," the ministry said in a press release.
The Southern African country has so far registered 196,090 COVID-19 infections with 2,421fatalities.
The country is undertaking a nationwide vaccination exercise in efforts to curb further spread of the virus.
By Wednesday, the health ministry reported that the country has managed to fully vaccinate 71 percent of its 1.3 million eligible population.