President ordered to halt awareness campaign for Coronavirus

President ordered to halt awareness campaign for Coronavirus
presidentmalawi
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Campaigners trying to fight Coronavirus wear masks and gloves and preach handwashing to prevent coronavirus from spreading.  To halt coronavirus awareness campaigns is the order by President Peter Mutharika . He himself last week declared COVID-19 a national disaster for Malawi, and opposition parties have been going door-to-door to educate people on symptoms and prevention.

Malawi has ordered opposition political parties to call the efforts a politicization of the pandemic.  While Malawi has yet to confirm a case of the virus, opposition parties have been going door-to-door to educate people on symptoms and prevention.

A government spokesperson told Voice of America that the message the opposition is spreading was not crafted by health experts, making the efforts a political move that could do more harm than good.

The opposition Malawi Congress Party (MCP) and United Transformation Movement party (UTM) have been going door-to-door in rural areas to raise awareness of symptoms and prevention.

As the coronavirus spreads across Africa, Malawi has intensified screening for the virus at all entry points and hospitals.  Health authorities say over 500 people are being monitored while on self-quarantine across the country.

The issue over the opposition political parties’ coronavirus campaigning comes as Malawi’s electoral commission on Monday said a rerun of last year’s annulled polls would be held on July 2nd.

The Constitutional Court last month overturned the May 2019 election, citing widespread irregularities.  President Mutharika’s party is appealing the decision at the Supreme Court.

About the author

Avatar of Juergen T Steinmetz

Juergen T Steinmetz

Juergen Thomas Steinmetz has continuously worked in the travel and tourism industry since he was a teenager in Germany (1977).
He founded eTurboNews in 1999 as the first online newsletter for the global travel tourism industry.

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