Health Minister Mhango announces a 4th confirmed case of Coronavirus

By Duncan Mlanjira

Minister of Health & Population, Jappie Mhango, who heads the special cabinet committee on Coronavirus that President Arthur Peter Mutharika set last month, has announced that another case of the virus has been recorded in Blantyre.

This brings the tally to four after the President announced the first three confirmed cases in Lilongwe he made during a national address he made on March 30.

Mhango said the 4th patient has just recently returned from the UK and was in self-quarantine and that tests were done on Friday at the College of Medicine laboratory where it was confirmed that the results were positive.

“With this new case, Malawi now has four new cases of Coronavirus and we can confirm local transmission based on the initial three cases from Lilongwe.

“All these four cases have mild diseases,” says the statement from Mhango.

As way to assure the members of public following the registration of the three confirmed COVID19 cases as of Thursday, Lilongwe City Council, in conjunction with the District Health Office (DHO); the Malawi Police Service and Area 9 community members resolved at a meeting on Friday on strategies on the best way the cases can be contained without putting a risk on the masses. 

The meeting agreed that since all 3 confirmed cases are in one compound, only that compound will for now be on lockdown and the DHO will ensure that all protocols are strictly being followed.

“The Lilongwe City Council is, however, encouraging all residents of this area and indeed all other areas to cut out unnecessary travel and stay in their homes and follow all other recommended practices.

“The Council calls upon all City residents to support these initiatives and to religiously abide by any guidance and restrictions that the Government of Malawi may issue from time to time.

“We all have a duty to create a better, safer and healthier Lilongwe for everyone,” says the Council.

Meanwhile, Member of Parliament for Blantyre City South Constituency, Noel Lipipa has intensified calls to all political party leaders to put their differences aside and join hands in the fight against COVID-19.

Even though the political fever is focused on the forthcoming fresh presidential election, Lipipa told journalists that there is a need for Malawians not to prioritize political differences but to fight the common enemy — COVID-19.

“We must all join hands and take necessary measures to ensure the pandemic doesn’t affect our country,” he said. “In joining hands as citizens of Malawi, we will together overcome this problem.

“Malawian political leaders have already shown that they can work together when their interests align with each other as evidenced by the DPP/UDF and UTM/MCP respective alliances.

“It is now time for all political party leaders to put their political differences aside so as to work together on how best Malawi can end the pandemic.”

Lipipa went on to ask the leaders of the UTM/MCP alliance to borrow a leaf from Julius Malema (leader of the EFF in South Africa, opposition to the governing party) as he, together with their President Cyril Ramaphosa of the ANC join hands in the fight against Coronavirus.

Other measures have been done by the Chief Secretary to the Government, Lloyd Muhara who has issued a statement that even through there are strict presidential measures that the public must seriously adhere to, the Government must continue to provide essential services.

Addressing all Government controlling officers and heads of departments to implement that all the three gates into the Capital Hill should be manned by security personnel to ensure that everyone coming in and out should be washing hands and or given sanitizers.

“This will be done complementing those already provided for in the offices and this procedure is therefore compulsory,” says Muhara.

“Each Ministry, Department or Agency should divide its staff into three teams, who will be working in shifts, in order to reduce the number of officers reporting for duties in a day.”

Muhara adds that non-essential services should be scaled down but each Ministry, Department or Agency should ensure that skeleton staff is available so that the service is not disrupted completely.

He also instructs that the Capital Hill should liaise with the Ministry of Health to disinfect their buildings and that each member of staff must be provided with face masks, sanitizers and where possible be given a bottle of hand sanitizer.

“Only essential meetings should be held in our conference rooms but ensure that social distance is greatly observed,” Muhara said.