President Lazarus Chakwera had today addressed the nation on the current status of Covid19 and further explained guidelines that the citizens must follow to reduce the chances of catching the virus and slow down it’s spread.
He has trimmed the number of people to patronize the inauguration ceremony on 6th July which will be held at Bingu National Stadium (BNS) in Lilongwe from 40,000 to 20,000 in order to maintain the appropriate social distance to prevent the spread of the novel Coronavirus.
The president made the remarks on Saturday in Lilongwe at his private residence during a press briefing to address the rapid increase of Covid-19 cases the country has so far registered.
“No one will be allowed to enter the stadium without a mask, sanitizing and washing of hands, as well as having their temperature checked.
“I know that they are those who believe the best way is just to cancel this event. The merits of this approach is not lost on me but I believe what is best for us as a society is to find new ways of functioning in the face of Covid-19 and not paralyzing our functions all together,” stated Chakwera.
The president added that there will be 100,000 face masks on hand for those who will come without a mask in addition to electing a presidential task force on Covid-19 to work together with the inaugural committee to ensure that all the preventive measures are implemented as a matter of priority.
“The work of a taskforce requires direction and discipline as well as a seamless coordination between public and private stakeholders.
“To provide direction to these efforts and review the efficiency thereof, I will soon be announcing a new Minister of Health and a new Principal Secretary for Health to start their work by Tuesday,” he said.
The president assured the nation of a transparent and consultative process in formulating and implementing strategies to fight against the Coronavirus.
As of yesterday (Friday) there has been over 1, 400 recorded Covid-19 cases in the country with the majority being local transmissions.
“The work of a taskforce requires direction and discipline as well as a seamless coordination between public and private stakeholders.
“To provide direction to these efforts and review the efficiency thereof, I will soon be announcing a new Minister of Health and a new Principal Secretary for Health to start their work by Tuesday,” he said
The president assured the nation of a transparent and consultative process in formulating and implementing strategies to fight against the Coronavirus.
