Coronavirus Cases on the Rise

The Ministry of Justice in Malawi decided to impose strict precautionary measures on Sunday in order to curb the perceived alarming climb in COVID-19 cases in the country - which have almost doubled in the past 4 weeks. The Minister of Information, Gospel Kazako, expressed his concern on Sunday about the increase in the number of coronavirus cases, "The problem is serious and we all have to face it. Covid-19 is there and it is killing people."

Hence, stricter sanitary measures to contain the spread of the virus have taken into effect across the country.

It is now mandatory for all to wear masks in public spaces. Places of worship restaurants and bars are closed with only take-away sales being permitted for drinking establishments. Public gatherings of greater than 10 people are prohibited with the exception of funerals which can have up to 50 people in attendance.

Justice Minister, Chikosa Silungwe, stated that an army of controlled has been hired to enforce these new sanitary regulations.

Nationwide Efforts Against Covid-19

The Malawian government attempted a lockdown back in April but as no financial bailout packages were made available to the most destitute of the population, these initial efforts were quickly thwarted in the court. Since the first case of coronavirus appeared in Malawi April 2nd, the nation has confirmed a total of 4,624 cases and 143 deaths as of 8 August.