COVID-19 Update

COVID-19 has officially come to Namibia. Yesterday two cases were confirmed in Romanian tourists who had arrived on Wednesday. They had a few days of interaction with people, but it's impossible to know how far it has spread since then. All schools, public and private, will be closed for the next month. The Independence and Presidential Inauguration celebration planned for next weekend has been cancelled, and all major gatherings will be suspended for the next 30 days (though they didn't define 'major'). They have also suspended inbound and outbound flights for the next 30 days. I know these kind of precautions have been going on all around the world, but yesterday was when it finally hit here.

To make matters worse, the World Health Organization considers Namibia in the category of least prepared to deal with this kind of epidemic. Self-quarantine is virtually impossible in communities where families live with sometimes 10 people in a one-room shack. And those shacks are packed together like tetris cubes. The most vulnerable are the elderly and those with a low immune system already, and Namibia has a huge number of HIV/AIDS cases, which is itself an immune system deficiency. And on top of that, only the upper class can afford the best quality health care if it comes to that.

Stores quickly sold out of
hand sanitizer

This situation could also have a devastating effect on our already-hurting economy. Travel restrictions will impact our tourism industry, which is the second largest industry in the country. Any one who is not a salaried employee will have no source of income with all the business closures and panic (e.g., domestic workers, gardeners, day laborers, etc.). We import most of our food and goods, so closed borders could lead to empty shelves in the stores. The effects of this outbreak could be far reaching.

But despite the potential for doom-and-gloom, we have a great hope in Jesus Christ. And that's what the church has to offer the world during this time of intense fear and panic. This coronavirus is only a symptom of a much bigger problem, that is, the reality that we live in a world affected by Sin. Not only is the creation broken, but each one of us has a sin-sick heart (Jer 17:9). We need more than a doctor; we need a Savior! So even in the midst of a global heath and economy crisis, those who trust in Christ can have rest and peace.

So please pray for us in Namibia. Pray that God would curb the spread of this virus and protect the lives of our vulnerable people. Pray that people would not be overcome by fear and anxiety and irrational thinking. And pray that this global pandemic would cause more and more people to find their hope in Christ.