Zambia

Zambian President Edgar Lungu has reopened the Victoria Falls to the public, nearly two months after closing the World Heritage Site due to COVID-19.

Lungu urged all visitors and tour operators to follow health guidelines by wearing masks and practising social distancing. “The decision to reopen the Victoria Falls was based on the city of Livingstone not recording any cases of the coronavirus,” said Lungu.

Livingstone Tourism Association Chairperson, Rodney Sikumba, who accompanied the President on the tour of the Falls, said tour operators were looking forward to a slow recovery of the tourism industry.

Namibia

Namibia’s national parks have reopened following their closure in April as a result of COVID-19.

Spokesperson for the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism, Romeo Muyunda, confirmed the reopening in stage two of Namibia’s lockdown.  “We urge Namibians to visit our remarkable parks as a way to support the country’s tourism sector during this difficult time.”

He added that the private sector was also offering special packages for Namibians to promote domestic tourism.

Botswana

In line with Botswana's strategy of easing the lockdown restrictions introduced to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, the government announced phase three from May 15 and national parks have reopened.

Game reserves and museums are also open again for business, with commercial guest houses allowed to start welcoming guests.

All these entities must adhere to health guidelines such as daily COVID-19 temperature screening and wearing of face masks at all times.