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News release

Emaswati support lockdowns and school closures for COVID-19 prevention despite difficulty complying

27 Dec 2021 Eswatini
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Most Emaswati support the government’s lockdown restrictions to prevent the spread of COVID-19 even though about half say they found it difficult to comply, the latest Afrobarometer survey shows.

Similarly, a majority of citizens endorse the government’s decision to close the schools but think they should have reopened sooner.

To limit the spread of the coronavirus, government has instituted partial lockdown restrictions, including school closures that kept most students (particulalryl those enrolled in government schools) away from the classroom for much of 2020 and parts of 2021. While this year saw learners retun to the classrooms following easing of the ‘hard’ restrictions of the previous year, outbreaks of subsequent COVID-19 waves and civil unrest yet again led to the shutting down of schools. The government has continued to gradually ease restrictions, allowing most business, including some of those most affected by the lockdowns such the alcohol and entertainment industry, to begin the long journey to economic recovery. Most recently, the government announced the end of a curfew that has in place for several months now.