Based on a steady increase in positive cases, the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention has altered its categorisation of Namibia to a high-risk Covid-19 country, much to the chagrin of the tourism industry and health officials. 

The health ministry’s executive director Ben Nangombe said the classification should not be seen as if Namibia is not safe for tourists and travellers alike.

The CDC moved Namibia to level three “high risk category” on Monday, joining other countries in the same classification as Guyana, Mongolia as well as St Kitts and Nevis.

Hospitality Association of Namibia (HAN) CEO Gitta Paetzold said yesterday that Namibia is in a designation that currently applies to approximately 115 countries. 

“So, the important thing is that it is not just Namibia, and from what we understand, there have been no changes to the recommendation for US citizens considering travel to level three countries, which is to make sure they are up to date with their Covid-19 vaccines before travelling, which is the overall travel advice,” she observed.

In April, the CDC overhauled its ratings system for assessing Covid-19 risks for travellers.

The level three “high” risk category is now the top rung in terms of risk level. Level two is considered a “moderate” risk, and level one is “low” risk. These countries, Namibia included, had previously been at level two.

Level four, previously the highest risk category, is now reserved only for special circumstances such as extremely high case counts, the emergence of a new variant of concern, or healthcare infrastructure collapse. Under the new system, no destinations have been placed at level four so far.

The “level three: Covid-19 high” category now applies to countries which have had more than 100 cases per 100 000 residents in the past 28 days.

Nangombe said the classification could have an effect on tourist arrivals in Namibia, but gave the assurance that the Covid situation is stabilising. He argued that Namibia is safe, adding that if one considers the current epidemiology trends of Covid-19, the cases are falling. “The pandemic in Namibia is under control. Namibia is safe. If you compare where we are now to last year the same time, you will see the situation improved. The highest number of Covid cases we had were recorded on 18 May 2022, with a total 551 positive cases per day. For the past few days, we reported cases below 100 per day,” Nangombe reacted to the classification yesterday. He thus sees the classification only as a travel advisory, which doesn’t mean the situation is out of control.

In fact, he said, Namibia is experiencing a downward trajectory in terms of new infections, hospitalisations and a positivity ratio. “A week ago, for example, we had a ratio of 30%, and this week it stands at 11%. That is why we are saying Namibia is safe. But people should continue to adhere to Covid-19 public health regulations in place. Covid is a threat everywhere,” he cautioned.

This week, health minister Kalumbi Shangula maintained that the fifth wave of Covid-19 is stable as the country recorded 1 235 new cases. 202 pupils tested positive for the virus over the last seven days, based on statistics recorded between 28 May and 3 June 2022. Paetzold stated that the CDC announcement is reason for concern for the tourism sector in Namibia. She said it reminds the nation of the disastrous consequences of previous situations, where Namibia and the region were deemed as high-risk, following the discovery of the Omicron variant in South Africa.

“But we do believe that the world has learnt hard lessons from previous knee-jerk reactions, and hope and trust that the most recent step by the CDC is taken in a more holistic approach and does not bring with it the overall travel bans and travel warnings as in the past,” she observed. 

The CDC is using a baseline of total new Covid-19 cases per 100 000 population in the past seven days to determine the Covid-19 community level.

It also looks at the combination of three metrics, being new Covid-19 admissions per 100 000 population in the past seven days, the percentage of staffed inpatient beds occupied by Covid-19 patients, and total new Covid-19 cases per 100 000 population in the past seven days to determine the Covid-19 community level infections.

Paetzold noted that the rating used by the CDC is a global mechanism, and as such it has its challenges and functions. 

The CDC uses a single, uniform methodology to categorise all countries outside the United States according to several objective criteria, including incidence rate, new case trajectory, population testing rate and test-to-case ratio. 

She clarified that the Travel Health
Notice is not restricting Namibians from travel to the United States, nor does it restrict US citizens from travelling to Namibia.

She advised that what Namibians may take from this situation is that everyone must push for and support the national vaccination drive because the rate of vaccination is an important determining factor in rating a destination as safe, or not. 

“And if we want to ensure that Namibia remains a safe destination to travel to and from in the eyes of the international travel community, it is the responsibility of all of us as citizens of our country to accept that vaccinations are internationally viewed as a key measure to alleviate the impact of Covid both in medical and financial terms,” Paetzold appealed.  –anakale@nepc.com.na