President Lazarus Chakwera has admitted that he was among most Malawians who relaxed in the fight against the global pandemic Coronavirus when the country was registering low cases last year.
Chakwera made the admission today when he addressed the nation on the status of the country in as far as Coronavirus is concerned as the country is now registering higher cases each and every day.
“Many of us are back to the old ways of not maintaining our distance from others. Many of us are back to the old ways of not washing our hands regularly. When I say many of us, I am including myself and all of us who are working in government. But our collective relaxation against the virus needs to end with immediate effect. We simply cannot afford to let this virus advance any farther,” Chakwera said.
The president further asked the populace to adhere to public health guidelines that were gazzeted in the fight against Covid-19 as way of halting further spread of the virus.
Chakwera also cautioned people in the country that they cannot keep on relaxing as more people are getting infected and lives are being lost hence a need to unite in fighting the pandemic.
“The speed at which the virus has been spreading since Christmas is very disturbing. Sixty-six new infections were confirmed between Christmas Day and Boxing Day. And in the fortnight that has passed since, over 1500 new infections have been confirmed, which is an average of over 120 new infections every day, which is putting too much pressure on our health system and health workers. This cannot be allowed to continue,” Chakwera said.
On the enforcement of the Covid-19 guidelines, Chakwera has directed the Ministry of Homeland Security to ensure that people are following the guidelines and they are being enforced.
“We must all work together to stop that from happening. We must keep each other safe by obeying guidelines, including early closures of drinking places and restrictions on public gatherings, which many are still violating. Because of these lapses in vigilance, I have directed the Ministers of Homeland Security and Health to scale up the enforcement of Covid-19 safety guidelines with immediate effect. I am confident that you as citizens will do your part to comply because we cannot afford to be complacent,” he said.
The president also appealed to Malawians that if the get signs of Covid-19 they should not relent but immediately should go to self-isolation an engage medical personnel for further advice and treatment.
Chakwera has also revealed that he has gone into a 21 day fasting and prayer, asking all Malawians to join him and put their faith in God adding that people should intensify their faith and prayers to God to heal our country.
“Above all, as your thoughts turn towards God this Sunday, let us intensify our prayers to God for his mercy to come down to our deliverance. I have personally joined our church in a program of 21-day fasting and prayer, and I encourage this nation to call on God. Wherever you are, as you fast and pray, God is able to do more than we can,” he said.
So far, Malawi has over 2000 coronavirus active cases with over 200 fatalities of which yesterday the country registered highest number of Covid-19 deaths which was 12 including the veteran radio personality Maria Chidzanja Nkhoma.
