Namibia has relaxed COVID-19 measures and scrapped the requirement of a 72-hour negative PCR test result for vaxxed arrivals.

Namibian President, Hage Geingob, said on Tuesday (March 15) that the new public health regulations would come into effect from midnight on March 16 until April 15.

Minister of Health and Social Services, Kalumbi Shangula, said fully vaccinated travellers no longer had to produce a negative PCR test result, but must present a valid vaccination card at point of entry.

Travellers who are not fully vaccinated must produce a negative COVID-19 PCR test result that is not older than 72 hours from the date of the test and was issued by a certified laboratory in the country of issue.

“Economic data reveals that the volume of foreign tourist arrivals remains at only one-third of what they were in 2019. This means that the employment-intensive tourism sector, which provides direct and indirect employment to approximately 150 000 Namibians, is still in recession,” said Geingob.

He further announced that wearing of masks in public places was no longer mandatory.  However, people who are in close settings, such as public transport, indoor public meetings are encouraged to wear masks. The size of public gatherings will be adjusted from 500 to 1 000 people.