Lilongwe City Council to enforce compulsory wearing of face masks by market vendors, customers

By Duncan Mlanjira

In order to contain the spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19), Lilongwe City Council will from Monday, May 18 enforce compulsory wearing of face masks by vendors as well as customers in the Central Market and others within the city.

A public notice from the City Council signed by its chief executive officer, John Chome, says customers who will pitch up without a face masks will be required to buy them at the entrance.

“The City Council is working to encourage tailors in the markets to make masks which they will be selling at the entrance gates.

“These measures have been taken to protect the vendors and buyers and the Council appeals to all concerned to respect the measures,” said the notice.

Lilongwe remains the worst COVID-19 hit with 26 cases, including two deaths, followed by Blantyre with 16 confirmed cases and one death, as disclosed by Minister of Health Jappie Mhango when he updated the nation that six new COVID-19 cases have been registered as of Wednesday — bringing the total number to 63.

Thyolo is third with nine cases while Mzuzu has three in Nkhata Bay and one each in Chikwawa, Mulanje, Zomba, Nkhotakota, Mangochi, Karonga and Zomba.

At a press briefing in Lilongwe, Mhango said the five new cases have been confirmed by three laboratories in Lilongwe, Blantyre and Mzuzu.

Three of them, whose tests were done by Mzuzu Central Hospital laboratory, are from Nkhata Bay who had returned from Tanzania. 

One case was confirmed at National Reference Lab at Public Health Institute of Malawi (PHIM) in Lilongwe — a 53-year-old female, who is a contact of the case from Chilinde. 

“Yesterday a total of 43 samples were collected by Lilongwe District Health Office and most of them were contacts of the Chilinde case — household and workplace contacts. Out of the 43 samples, only one tested positive,” Mhango said.

He assured Lilongwe resident that the DHO is continuing with contact tracing of the cases.

In Blantyre, College of Medicine laboratory confirmed of case of a 29-year-old female from Thyolo — also a contact of a confirmed case in same district.

“Of these, 24 have successfully recovered, three lost their lives and 36 are still under management by the health system,” the Minister said.

He added that Ministry is working towards increasing the number of testing centres to reduce the turnaround time for the samples.

In Blantyre, the District Council’s director of planning and development Tamanya Harawa announced that they will soon engage tailors who are sewing face masks amidst COVID-19 to guide them with recommended tools in producing the item.

He said this Wednesday in Blantyre during Public Health Emergency Management Committee review and re-planning meeting organised by PHIM.

He said since most of the tailors were making face masks to cater for those who cannot afford disposable ones, there was need for them to be told on the standards required.

“We appreciate the job there are doing in preventing the spread of the pandemic but they need to be orientated on how they can make them to ensure effectiveness,” Harawa said. 

“The face masks must be made from cotton cloth and must have three layers for them to be serving its purpose because what we are seeing on the streets are face masks but do not have the needed element.

He added that the Council would continue with community sensitizations to orient the masses on how to put on the face masks to avoid being infected with the virus.

Development Communication Trust communication specialist, Zione Mayaya said her organization would continue working hand in hand with the Council to ensure that COVID-19 messages are broadcast to the masses.

“We have noted that people are not aware on how they can properly wear the masks. We shall make sure that we work with the council to spread messages of proper mask usages in order to successfully fight the pandemic,” she said.

PHIM field epidemiologist, Daniel Mapemba appealed to all sectors of the council to continue working together so that the district fulfils its goal in curbing the pandemic.—Additional reporting by Loness Gwazanga, MANA