KHANYANE-FOURTEEN people were reported to have died of Covid-19 related illnesses in Khanyane in Leribe last week.
This is according to Chief Malefetsane Moliboea of Khanyane adding most of the deceased were between the ages of 60 and 70.
“What I realised was that their family members travelled and the December 31st (New Year) celebrations were a super spreader,” Chief Moliboea said.
The chief said he still gets reports of deaths but not in large numbers as last week.
Chief Moliboea said his residents still adhere to World Health Organisations (WHO) guidelines but the major problem is they still feel that funerals are obligatory and that they must attend in person.
“It seems difficult for them to leave old habits,” he said adding that “they need law enforcement so as to save Basotho”.
He said these sudden deaths have affected them badly considering the rate villagers die.
He said he has embarked on ways to raise awareness through loud speakers especially for funerals.
“We do make parents aware that if they leave children to loiter around not knowing who they meet in the end this will affect them,” he said.
“Our (District Administrator) and (District Health Management Team) helped us a lot as they went from house-to-house for contact tracing.”
He said families still don’t understand that the remains of the dead should arrive in the morning from the mortuary and head straight to the graveyard.
“They still feel the corpse should spend the night at home. In one case we had to ask the (District Health Management Team) for intervention,” he said.
Meanwhile, the National Covid-19 Secretariat (Nacosec) risk communications manager, Baroane Phenethi, said rapid testing for contact tracing was first piloted in Leribe, Mafeteng, Berea and Maseru as they were districts with the highest infections.
“Basotho were fearful at first but since they were educated in the process, they were not that resistant,” he said.
He said on Monday they went to the remaining districts.
He said since lockdown, there has been a difference as the infection rate has decreased.
According to Nacosec Covid-19 update, January 26, the country has recorded 8 047 positive cases and 146 deaths.
’Mapule Motsopa