The army and police have closed down
Manzini, the main commercial city in Swaziland (eSwatini),
setting up road blocks, forcing people to be screened for coronavirus and
arresting people on the streets for loitering.
The lockdown started on Monday (27 April 2020) and is
expected to last at least two weeks. About 110,000 people live in the city and
about 355,000 of the kingdom’s 1.3 million population live in the Manzini region.
The clampdown was spearheaded by the Swazi National
Commissioner of Police William Dlamini. He said he had the support of the army
and the correctional services (prison guards).
The whole of Swaziland has been under partial lockdown
since 27 March 2020 in a fight against coronavirus (COVID-19). So far only one
death from the virus has been reported and 59 people have tested positive. Of
that number, 38 are from the Manzini region.
Dlamini told a press briefing the security services
would set up roadblocks. He said this meant movements of people within Manzini
and those coming to Manzini would be restricted. ‘If your
reason of travelling is not valid, you will be requested to turn back,’
he said.
He added the security services would be across the
kingdom increasing visibility to ensure that the public complied. Dlamini
said, ‘We will warn and arrest on the spot everyone who does not adhere to the
regulations.’
He said the three security services would visit
business outlets to ensure that those prohibited from operating were closed and
those allowed to open fully complied with guidelines set out by the Ministry of
Health.
The police are also to work with the Ministry of Health in screening people at
roadblocks. If a person is found to have a high temperature
they would be tested for COVID-19 and if positive put into isolation.
New regulations also
began on Monday restricting travel across the kingdom, ruled by
King Mswati III as an absolute monarch. People
need written permission to travel between towns and cities.
The King himself has not
been seen in public since last month.
See also
Public
need written permission to travel in Swaziland in big coronavirus clampdown
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