THE third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic which has hit the Free State province in South Africa will pose a major threat to Lesotho if the country does not observe COVID-19 safety protocols, the Ministry of Health has shown.

According to Dr Moseme Makhele from the District Health Management Team, some people continue to the cross borders to SA without following the right protocols, thus increasing the risk of infection.

He said members of the public continue to be in crowded places and fail to observe social distancing or the 50 percent capacity in closed settings.

Dr Makhele said those who attend public events in open outdoor settings do not even put on face masks.
He noted that some liquor outlets operate beyond trading hours and most of people prefer to watch sports activities, particularly soccer in such areas and ignore COVID-19 safety protocols.
He further said some supermarkets and other service providers allow long queues in their businesses, adding that most customers end up removing their masks and do not observe social distancing.

He therefore appealed to Basotho to observe COVID-19 safety protocols at all times as the pandemic is still there and continues kill many people.
The Publicity Manager of the National COVID-19 Secretariat (NACOSEC), ’Mateboho Mosebekoa said the body is already disseminating information on social media platforms and radio stations to warn people about the third wave of the pandemic, which has been detected in South Africa.

She as a result urged people to avoid taking unnecessary trips and to stay away from crowded places.