MoH remove mask mandatory Restrictions

By Antony Isaiah Jr:….

The Ministry of Health in conjunction with the Presidential Covid-19 have loosened the the Restrictions after having a thorough review on the progress of the Pandemic.

Speaking during the press briefing on Friday in Lilongwe, the minister of Health, Khumbize Kandodo Chiponda said they have resolved to lift Mandatory of the pandemic following the downfall of the prevalence as of late.

Chiponda highlighted that currently only 146 people have tested positive to Covid-19, and of those 146, only 4 have been admitted with Covid while 142 are just showing the mild signs of Covid-19.

“We have registered 0.5% in Covid-19 cases as of late. This shows that we have made a tremendous progress in dealing with Covid-19, prompting the lifting of the mandatory Restrictions.

“The said progress that we gave seen in the country and the help of our researchers at College of Medicine but also the World Health Organization, we have been able to study the Covid-19 trend and we thought it wise to lift the mandatory Restrictions which were put in place to protect ourselves and deal with the pandemic,” said Kandodo.

Among others, the wearing of masks in social gatherings is no longer mandatory except in hospitals, prisons and refugee camps. In addition, restrictions on the number people gathering indoor and outdoor meetings have been lifted.

The minister has, however, urged the public to be responsible for their own safety in their quest to combat the spread of the pandemic due to the ongoing cases that have been registered in the districts of Dedza, Lilongwe among others.

“Everyone should take responsibility in ensuring that masks are worn in all public gatherings and public transport, observe social distancing and washing of hands should be emphasised as it will also help in the prevention of Cholera,” added Kandodo.

On people traveling outside Malawi, the task force says travellers should be guided by the requirements of the country of destination. Those landing in Malawi aged 12 and above should show full Covid-19 vaccination certificate or come with a negative PCA Covid-19 result.

But Children aged 11 years and below will be allowed to enter the country unconditionally.

“All travellers who are not vaccinated should produce negative PCA results within 72 hours of travelling and for those vaccinated should produce valid Covid-19 vaccine certificates at points of entry and all children below the age of 11 can have entry without conditions,” she added.

She also urged the religious leaders to continue encouraging their members to take Covid-19 vaccines and following Covid-19 preventive measures doing congregations.