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Rais wa zamani wa Malawi Joyce Banda amesema nchi hiyo haina virusi vya Korona na kuituhumu serikali kwa ‘kugushi’ takwimu.
Vyombo vya habari vya Malawi vimeripoti kuwa Bi Banda alinena hayo akizungumza kwenye mkutano wa hadhara.
Aidha ametaka fedha za misaada dhidi ya Corona zitumike kwa shughuli za maendeleo.
Malawi ina wagonjwa 455, vifo vinne na watu 55 waliopona Covid-19.
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The former State president Joyce Banda, who is also People’s Party (PP) president, has said there is no Covid-19, the strands of coronavirus pandemic in Malawi.
Banda said this while addressing aTonse Alliance campaign rally in Nkhata-Bay together with opposition torchbearer for fresh presidential lections, Lazarus Chakwera of Malawi Congress Party (MCP)
The former presiden said Malawi has so far been spared from Covid-19 and that the government is only taking advantage of the outbreak for it’s political interest.
She said: “We know that there is Covid-19 in many countries but I think God loves us because there is no clear case that the government is telling us about.”
Banda has since urged government to use the funds it got from international financial institutions to expedite development projects in the country.
But according to the Presidential Task Force on Covid-19 , the country has seen a surge of virus pandemic as citizens return from South Africa, the country hit harder than any other in Africa.
Critics blame the government for failing to enforce anti-coronavirus measures, which include social distancing, use of face masks and closing borders to prevent imported coronavirus.
President Peter Mutharika said his administration has tried to contain the spread of the virus but politics has undermined those efforts as the country is preparing for a June 23 fresh presidential election.
“Our fight against coronavirus is being undermined by politics and politicians. The courts stopped us from going on a lockdown. The same courts want us to go to an election. Now, we have a situation that is encouraging everybody to campaign and undermining social distancing,” he said.
Mutharika said it is now up to Malawians to choose between fighting coronavirus and going to an election. An the public jury out there is for the fresh elections.
A survey conducted by Institute for Public Opinion and Research about public perception of Covid-19 has shown that 82 percent of Malawians are more scared of hunger than being infected with coronavirus.
Dr Boniface Dulanithe research director at the Institute which conducted the survey said:“Our findings, interestingly enough, also show that Malawians support that the elections should be held notwithstanding the risk of coronavirus.
“ So this actually has basically made people think that maybe social distancing is not the best way to fight the coronavirus, which is really dangerous in itself.”
Health experts have warned that the ongoing political rallies, coupled with the return of people from South Africa, puts Malawi at higher risk of more Covid-19 cases in the near future.
Meanwhile, College of Medicine (COM) principal Mwapatsa Mipando said the institution requires more than K250 million for its interventions to contain the spread of the virus pandemic.
Scientists at the college have developed some remarkable innovations to contain the spread of Covid-19, including diagnosis protocols, preventive measures and medical research.
Mipando said the resources available to the institution are not enough to implement all its planned activities.
As of June 9, Malawi had registered more than 455 cases more Covid 19 out of 6690 tests conducted in many testing centers across the country.
Malawi recorded four deaths since early this April.
Source: Joyce Banda says ‘there is no Covid-19 in Malawi’ - Malawi Nyasa Times - News from Malawi about Malawi
