MPs not willing to get CoVID-19 vaccinated will be required to undergo rapid antigen tests on daily basis without exception

* Access to be granted only when the test result is negative

* In due course Parliament will check with Ministry of Health on authenticity of vaccination details or test results

* Parliament is one institution hit hard by the previous waves of the pandemic

* Since the first wave, the august House has lost nine MPs to the pandemic

By Duncan Mlanjira

Parliament has instructed Members of Parliament, staff, contractors and the general public visiting its premises that if they are unable to show a valid CoVID-19 full vaccination card and opt not to access the vaccine, they will be required to undergo a rapid antigen test on daily basis for the period of access to the premises, without exception, and at their own cost.

In a statement from the Clerk of Parliament, Fiona Kalemba says access will only be granted when the test result is negative.

Thus, the MPs and all other visitors shall be required to show valid CoVID-19 full vaccination certificate at all access gates to the building as proof of their vaccination.

In due course, as and when required, Kalemba says Parliament will check with the Ministry of Health on authenticity of vaccination details or test results.

“Parliament is aware that the institution has been hit hard by the previous waves of the pandemic,” says Kalemba. “Since the first wave, Parliament has lost nine Honourable Members to the pandemic.”

The presidential task force recently adopted the reviewed rules and guidelines regarding the pandemic situation in the country as the progressive increase of cases observed calls for action going into the Christmas festive season where different groups gather to share some quality moments.

Soon aster the festive season last year, the country was hit by a nasty second wave of the pandemic right from January 1, 2021 that claimed lives of many productive citizens including prominent Cabinet Ministers — Lingson Belekanyama (Local Government) and Sidik Mia (Transport and Public Works), who was also Malawi  Congress Party (MCP) Vice-president.

Others included musician Wambali Mkandawire; Malawi Human Rights Commission (MHRC) chairperson, Reverend Patrick Semphere; artist Frank Patani Mwase; renowned radio broadcaster Maria Chidzanja Nkhoma and many high profile productive corporates and business citizens.

Thus Parliament of Malawi’s decision in taking cognizance that “it is very important for the august House to enhance the CoVID-19 precautionary measures in the context of revolving regional and global situations”.

“The Parliament of Malawi recognises that the Presidential Taskforce on CoVID-19 has done this in order for the country to mitigate the impact of the new variant called Omicron.

“In the same spirit, the Parliament of Malawi has adopted a number of preventive measures to ensure that everyone coming to Parliament is protected from the virus.”

To this effect, Kalemba says the House’s Business Committee met on December 1 to discuss the pandemic in view of the coming in of a new variant.

“In this regard, in addition to the previous preventive measures already in place such as mandatory wearing of face masks, regular washing of hands with soap or hand sanitisation and regular disinfection of all public places and public facilities in the Parliament Building, Parliament has now adopted the additional preventive measures which are now in force.

“In this regard, Honourable Members, staff, and all stakeholders are requested to adhere to these measures when entering Parliament precincts.

“The Parliament of Malawi urges all stakeholders to take this matter seriously in view of the threat of the fourth wave from the global and regional epidemiology situation with the aim of protecting everyone from the further siege of the pandemic.”

In his national address on Tuesday, when he unveiled the CoVID-19 Socio-Economic Recovery Plan (SERP) for the period between 2021 and 2023, President Lazarus Chakwera said one of the long-term wound that in the country’s economy which the plan is set to heal is the CoVID-19 pandemic.

He impressed on the citizenry that the pandemic is now in its fourth wave of “not only infecting swathes of the population, but also tearing into the very fabric of our economic development”.

He disclosed that as of Tuesday, there were 11 vaccine doses that were in danger of expiring, because so many people are not getting vaccinated, adding that so far only over half a million people are fully vaccinated, which is less than 5% of the targeted 11 million people that need to vaccinate to reach herd immunity.

Since the onset of the pandemic, the country has registered over 60,000 cases that included over 2,300 related deaths and the President said in the 32 CoVID-19 months there had been two presidential declarations of national disaster, with accompanying restrictions of movement.

He said “though the restrictions have saved lives, they have caused inevitable damage to livelihoods, as many have been forced to work from home or forced out of work or forced to close an income generating activity.”

Thus he reiterated many calls that “the reality is that if you do not get vaccinated, you will continue putting our economy at risk of staying stagnant, because we cannot fully open up the economy if there are still citizens at risk of suffering severe disease from the virus.

“The more of you get vaccinated and protected from severe Covid disease, the less pressure there will be on our health system, which is currently draining so many of our national resources to support the hospitalization of unvaccinated Covid patients.”