President Lazarus Chakwera made another national address on Sunday afternoon and disclosed that the presidential inauguration ceremony will take place at Kamuzu Barracks in Lilongwe with a minimum of 100 invited people to prevent the spread of the Coronavirus pandemic.
The initial arrangement was planned to take place at Bingu National Stadium in Lilongwe to coincide with Malawi 56th Independence Day celebrations on July 6.
The president said that the decision was made in the wake of the rapid spread of Covid 19 infections across the country.
“I have received new information in the last 24 hours that has persuaded me to cancel the event altogether. By the time I addressed you at the start of the day yesterday, the number of confirmed Covid 19 cases was 1,498. By the time the same day ended, that number stood at 1,613 representing a rise of over 7 percent.”
The new Malawi president urged the general public to continue observing precautionary measures.
“We are at risk of this infection, every one of us. That includes you, your children, your spouse, your neighbours and your colleagues at work. It also includes me and the State Vice President. None of us is immune to the infection. That means all of us need to take this pandemic seriously,” said Chakwera.
He has since ordered a small scale inauguration at Malawi Defence Force (MDF) Kamuzu Barracks in Lilongwe where a sword of command will be handed over to him in attendance of 100 people while the rest of Malawians be able to follow the ceremony on televisions or radios.
