ABSTRACT
The World Health Organization (WHO) declared that the corona virus 2019 (COVID-19) is a global pandemic as it attacks societies at their core. The seriousness of this pandemic forced countries to introduce stringent measures to combat its spread. This led to bans on social and religious gatherings and extreme social distancing or lockdown. Botswana went into lockdown from 2 April to 21 May 2020 and a state of emergency lasting six months. This chapter seeks to provide an overview of how the religious fraternity in Botswana has responded to COVID-19 by identifying the strengths and challenges of these responses as well as outlining lessons learnt for the future in terms of the interface of epidemics, religion and politics. The chapter will rely on reports from Church Organizations under Botswana Network of Christian Communities (BONECO), telephonic interviews with pastors and leaders of churches and literature available on the Internet.
