Health Alert – U.S. Embassy Gaborone, Botswana

7/31/2020

Location:  Botswana

Event:  Greater Gaborone Zone Lockdown

The Government of Botswana announced a new lockdown in the Gaborone COVID-19 zone starting today, July 31, 2020 for a minimum of two weeks. Only essential services will remain operational at a reduced amount, and movement permits will be required for all movement within the Greater Gaborone Zone. Inter-zone permits for travel between zones are still required in the rest of the country, and travel into and out of the Greater Gaborone Zone is prohibited. Those who reside in the Greater Gaborone Zone and are currently outside of the zone may, however, return. You may apply for any required movement permit online at www.gov.bw.

There are still no commercial international flights into or out of Botswana. If you have chosen to remain in Botswana at this point, it is likely you will have to remain in Botswana until commercial flights resume. The date of resumption is undetermined.

If you are interested in departing Botswana, you can still register your interest with the U.S. Embassy in Gaborone using the following link:

Botswana Repatriation Request Form

If you are travelling with others, you must complete the form for each person in your group. Entering your data into this form will add you to a list to get separate emails with flight information and logistics. If you have already completed this form, please do not complete it again. If you have previously completed the form and no longer wish to depart Botswana, please contact us at ConsularGaborone@state.gov so we can remove you from the list.

Repatriation requests can also be made through our website at https://bw.usembassy.gov/covid-19-information/. This is only a registration of interest. It is not a guarantee that flights will become available at any particular time, and you should expect to remain in Botswana for some time to come.

In the meantime, please do not forget to register in STEP for the latest alerts and information from the U.S. Embassy in Gaborone at https://step.state.gov.

If you are looking for the latest announcements, the best place to find the updates, lists, regulations, and maps is at https://twitter.com/BWGovernment.

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