Namibia’s fishing sector has so far made a loss of over 750 million Namibian dollars (around 40 million U.S. dollars) since the country imposed a 21-day lockdown three weeks ago, officials said Friday.
In an interview, chairman of Confederation of Namibian Fishing Association Matti Amukwa said the lockdown has had a severe impact on the fishing sector since most companies had to close down.
“Factories have reduced activities, fishing vessels are parked. If the lockdown continues, over a thousand workers in the fishing sector are at risk of losing their jobs,” Amukwa said.
According to Amukwa, the fishing sector and the government are in talks to see if the industry can be classified as an essential service.
“The fishing industry has to be classified as an essential service sector. We are providing protective clothes, masks and regular testing to protect the industry,” Amukwa said.
Namibia has extended the country’s lockdown until May 4. Enditem
