Government of the Kingdom of Eswatini
MINISTRY OF PUBLIC WORKS & TRANSPORT
DATE: Sunday 29 March 2020
The Right Honourable Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Eswatini, under the command of His Majesty the King Mswati III; announced an escalated measure to counter and contain the COVID-19 Pandemic that has seen at positive cases confirmed in Eswatini. The measures direct that a Partial Lockdown is implemented effected in the country from 27 March 2020 up to 16 April 2020.
Transport shall operate in the following manner during the Partial Lockdown:
Rail Transport (Passenger and Freight)
Passenger Rail
- Cleaners clean Coaches; door handles and rails every 2 hours with sanitiser.
- Passengers spray sanitizers before they enter the train.
- Passengers must be 1m apart from each other.
- Immigration Protocols are to be followed at Mpaka where they disembark and tour the country. This includes the digital thermometer administered at the border gates. The disinfectant before boarding
Freight Rail
The Rail transport will bring essentials from the Republic of South Africa and Mozambique as described under the regulations during the Lockdown; those include fuel, wheat and containers.
Handover of trains at interchange points
- Train Driver and Train Assistant wear latex gloves to climb the locomotive steps and open the doors.
- They clean the cabin with a sanitiser/disinfectant
- They sanitise the door knobs too
- Train Driver and Train Assistant must be 1m apart
Civil Aviation
The following shall be observed in terms of safety measures:
Airport
- Quarantine Facilities for inbound or outbound passengers presenting COVID-19 symptoms are provided.
- There shall be constant coordination with MOH on the quarantine of suspected cases of passengers.
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Air Navigation and Service Provider (ANSP)
- Information shall be relayed by aircraft whilst still airborne and inbound to an Eswatini Airport relating to number of passengers on board presenting COVID-19.
- There shall also be dissemination of that information to Airport and Facilitation Team in particular MOH and Immigration.
Airlines
- Eswatini Airlink has suspended all flights for the duration of the partial lockdown. Normal flight schedule shall resume once the National Emergency has been lifted.
For any aircraft that may for any purpose operate the following shall apply:
- Cabin Announcements shall be made in cases referencing COVID-19 awareness and measures to be taken by passengers.
- Contents of the Universal Precaution Kit shall be adhered to.
- Aircraft Cabin Air Quality Brief to ensure the air is adequately ventilated.
- In event of Bird Strike on the airport, aircraft precautionary measures to avoid contamination shall be engaged.
- Ensure Maintenance Crew does not have contact with aircrew to avoid spread of COVID-19. Also disinfection of aircraft prescribed sanitation liquids to avoid surface contamination and spread.
- Ensure Cargo & Baggage Handlers avoid contact with passengers, aircrew and maintenance personnel to avoid transmission of COVID-19.
- Ensure Cabin Crew is required to be trained on COVID-19 symptoms in passengers and among themselves and the measures to be taken to avert transmission of COVID-19.
- Ensure Cleaning Crew avoid contact with passengers, aircrew and maintenance personnel to avoid transmission of COVID-19.
- Ensure Passenger Agents maintain prescribed distance and avoid contact with passengers, aircrew and maintenance personnel to avoid transmission of COVID-19.
- Ensure Passenger Locator Form is current and passengers complete the forms.
- Disseminate Flu Hygiene information by means of flyer.
Road Transport
Passenger transport
- To comply with the WHO recommendations of Social Distancing, Government has directed that the public transport passengers should observe a 1m distance apart. That would mean that the Public Transport must ferry people at reduced capacity. The carrying capacity for buses shall not be limited to the 20 people per gathering, but shall be guided by the social distancing noted.
- Government, particularly the Ministry, shall continue working with the National Road Transport Council and other key stakeholders to address matters involving the operation of public transport within the Partial Lockdown.
- Public transport shall operate in the following manner to be in line with the partial lockdown:
- i. From 05h00 to 09h00 in the morning peak.
- ii. From 15h00 to 19h00 in the afternoon peak.
- iii. No public transport shall operate between 09h00 to 15h00.
- iv. Public transport in this instance is considered an essential service.
- v. All passenger vehicles must be sanitised after every trip.
- vi. All bus and taxi ranks must be sanitised at regular intervals.
- All cross-border road passenger movements to any of our neighbouring countries will be prohibited for the duration of the partial lockdown.
- Safety of vehicles and passengers and the entire operation shall not be compromised on the basis of the partial lockdown.
Freight transport
- Freight transport shall be allowed to operate to support trade but to adhere to WHO guidelines on operating within the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Cross-border freight movement for essential goods will continue to and from our neighbouring countries.
- Safety of vehicles and operation shall not be compromised on the basis of the partial lockdown.
- All goods vehicles must be sanitised before and after every trip.
- All places of loading or work for goods vehicles must be sanitised at regular intervals. Where possible, Government will provide assistance.
Transport services
- During the partial lockdown, certain services of the Ministry shall not operate at full optimum. The affected services include:
- Vehicle Roadworthiness Testing Station shall operate at minimal capacity but shall be reviewed with time.
- Driver Licensing Testing is suspended.
- Issuance of new driver licenses is suspended.
- All public transport permits that expire within the period of the partial lockdown shall be deemed to be valid. However, the permits must be renewed within a period of 30 days after the partial lockdown.