Botswana’s Civil Aviation Department will fire any pilot or air traffic controller who tests positive for HIV, despite widespread protests of the policy—in the country with the highest HIV rate in Africa.
The new regulations, which the department says were instituted to ensure passenger safety, mandate that younger pilots be tested at least once a year, with tests becoming more frequent as pilots get older.
Opponents say the rules conflict with the government’s stated policy against workplace discrimination of people living with HIV/AIDS.
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