Botswana's president completes self-isolation, resumes duty

GABORONE, Jan. 11 (Xinhua) -- Health authorities in Botswana on Tuesday cleared the southern African country's President Mokgweetsi Masisi to leave self-isolation after "he continues to have no COVID-19 associated symptoms," a government spokesperson said.

(Photo: VCG)

"His medical team has assessed his health status and subsequently cleared him because he continues to have no COVID-19 associated symptoms," John-Thomas Dipowe, acting permanent secretary in the Botswana government communications and information systems, said in a statement.

The fully vaccinated 59-year-old leader entered into a mandatory self-isolation early last week at his official residence situated in the country's capital city of Gaborone after testing positive for COVID-19.

Masisi got inoculated his first and second doses of Pfizer on June 11 and July 9 respectively last year.

According to the statement, there is no evidence of any acute medical complications since Masisi contracted the disease and has resumed duty.

Botswana has registered 219,509 cases of COVID-19 with 2,444 related deaths.

So far 48.6 percent of the total population received the first dose of vaccine, while 43 percent were fully vaccinated.