COVID-19 new cases and its related deaths continue to decline for month of September

By Duncan Mlanjira

Sunday’s situation report indicates that the downward trend in the numbers new COVID-19 cases and its related deaths continue to decline six days into the month of September.

In the past 24 hours, only three new COVID-19 cases were registered with no new deaths as well as no new recoveries.

All the new cases were identified at the Mwanza border during routine screening and they are truck drivers (two Mozambicans and one Malawian) who were heading to Blantyre.

On September 1, there were 10 new cases, on the 2nd there were three, 3rd there were 14, 4th there were 15 and on Saturday, the 5th, there were three.

The situation report by co-chairperson of the presidential taskforce on COVID-19, Dr John Phuka says cumulatively, Malawi has recorded 5,614 cases including 175 deaths.

Of these cases, 1,133 are imported infections and 4,481 are locally transmitted and so far a total of 3,551 cases have now recovered bringing the total number of active cases to 1,888.

The country has so far conducted 46,636 COVID-19 tests in 45 testing sites of which 152 tests have been done in the past 24 hours.

Dr. Phuka says pleads with parents, learners and teachers on the basic prevention measures of COVID-19 ahead of the re-opening of schools in a phased approach starting with examination classes from Monday, September 7.

Dr. Phuka asks the teachers and learners to implement the following preventive measures:

• Sick learners, teachers and other staff should not go to school

• Schools should enforce regular hand washing with safe water and soap, alcohol rub/hand sanitizer or chlorine solution 

• Frequent cleaning and disinfection of the touched surfaces and objects at the school

• Schools should provide water, sanitation and waste management facilities and follow environmental cleaning and decontamination procedures

• Schools should promote social and physical distancing 

• Proper wearing of mask and dispose them safely

• Practicing cough and sneeze etiquette 

• Frequent health education sessions to the learners on the prevention of COVID-19 

• Monitor school attendance to track learner and staff absenteeism in relation usual absenteeism patterns at the school.

• Alert local health authorities about large increases in learner or staff absenteeism due to respiratory illnesses.

Government ordered closure of all learning institutions in Malawi in March even before the first case of COVID-19 was recorded in the country, as a preventive measure to the emergence and subsequent spread of the pandemic.

Addressing the media in Lilongwe two weeks, Minister of Education, Agnes Nyalonje said following various consultations, it would now be safer to reopen schools but under strict observation of COVID-19 preventative measures.

The first groups to report back to school on September 7 are Standard 8 learners, Form 4 students, teachers under the IPTE 14 and final year students in universities.

The second group is expected to report back to school three weeks later on October 12, and these are students in Forms 1 to 3 and pupils from Standard 1 to 7.

Higher learning institutions will have to make plans as to when to take in the second phase of students.

However, the Minister has instructed that learners from Standard 1 to 4 should not be reporting to school at the same time because there are a lot of students in these classes unlike in the upper classes.

As such, head teachers should make arrangements as to how pupils in these classes should best be alternating in reporting to school.

“This opening will be done with a lot of measures in place to allow us to monitor the situation,” the Minister had said.

“That is why we are saying we have to balance the right to life and right to education so that as we are opening, we do not just open this up in a free for all manner, but rather to help schools put in place and maintain  preventive measures.

“The ministry of health has put in a decentralized system that is accompanying every level of preparations in every areas schools are.”

The Minister said despite reopening schools because of the strides made in fighting the pandemic, it was also crucial to reopen schools considering the importance education plays in the development of the nation.