Botswana President Mokgweetsi Masisi has appealed for calm after the country reported its first three confirmed cases of novel coronavirus.

"Fellow citizens, it is with a heavy heart that we’ve received the sad news from the minister of health and wellness Hon. Dr. Lemogang Kwape that we have had three cases of Covid-19 confirmed in our country," he said.

"We have been preparing for this eventuality. The measures we have so far put into place have seen us become one of the last few nations on earth to have confirmed cases of Covid-19."

Masisi was expected to address the nation on an action plan on Tuesday morning.

"I repeat that we not panic and most importantly follow the given instructions by the health authorities. We have a plan in place...Our republic was built on resilience, and we are called upon now more than ever before to demonstrate that resilience," he said.

On Monday health minister Kwape said the three Covid-19 cases were two males and a female person who had travelled to the United Kingdom and Thailand. They were kept in isolation at the Sir Ketumile Hospital and other secure places, he said.

"We have now moved from prevention to containment, in the past we have preached prevention but, now that we have cases we have moved to prevention and containment at the same time," Kwape said.