Namibia scraps free COVID-19 testing for students studying in SADC member states

WINDHOEK, April 15 — Namibia’s Ministry of Health and Social Services (MoHSS) has resolved to cease free SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) testing for students studying in member states of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), as well as civil servants traveling within the SADC region.
This is against the background that traveling in the SADC region is possible when someone is fully vaccinated. PCR testing is no longer a prerequisite to travel for fully vaccinated individuals, MoHSS executive director Ben Nangombe said in a statement Thursday.
“In line with the above, effective from April 13, 2022, students and civil servants who are scheduled for travel to countries in the SADC region and have not been vaccinated, are advised to approach any of the 21 SARS-CoV-2 authorized testing laboratories nationwide for testing at their own cost,” he said.
Nangombe also said that all existing arrangements and requirements for free testing for students remain unchanged except for the referred group of students mentioned above.
The SADC is an inter-governmental organization with headquarters in Gaborone, Botswana. It groups 16 countries in southern Africa, including South Africa, Namibia, Angola, Botswana, and Zimbabwe.    (Xinhua)