Government through the Ministry of Health has update rules in the fight against Coronavirus pandemic known as the Public Health Coronavirus and Covid-19 Prevention, Containment and Management Rules, 2020.
In the newly updated rules, wearing a mask in public places is now mandatory and failure to do so attracts a fine of K100, 000.
“Today is a special day in our fight against Covid-19 as the updated rules regulating the fight against Covid-19 have been gazetted (known as the Public Health (Corona Virus and Covid-19 Prevention, Containment and Management Rules, 2020), government has made mandatory the wearing of a face mask in public,” reads Ministry of Health Statement.
The development comes at a time where covid-19 cases continues to rise in the country.
In the last 24 hours Malawi has registered 84 new COVID-19 cases, 47 new recoveries, and no new death.
Of the new cases, 81 are locally transmitted infections and three are imported infections. Of the locally transmitted infections, three are healthcare workers (one each from Chikwawa, Lilongwe and Mzuzu North), 36 are from Blantyre, 18 from Lilongwe, eight from Zomba, six from Mzimba North, four from Nkhata Bay, two from Chikwawa, and one each from Chiradzulu, Mulanje and Mwanza.
The imported cases were identified at the Songwe border during routine screening. These cases include a resident of Lilongwe and two truck drivers: a Malawian based in Mzimba North and a Tanzanian heading to Lilongwe.
Cumulatively, Malawi has recorded 4,575 cases including 137 deaths. Of these cases, 1,024 are imported infections and 3,551 are locally transmitted.
Cumulatively, 2,184 cases have now recovered bringing the total number of active cases to 2,254. The average age of the cases is 36.7 years, the youngest case being aged 1 month, the oldest being 93 years and 66.9% are male.
The country has so far conducted 34,051 COVID-19 tests in 45 COVID-19 testing sites of which 585 tests have been done in the past 24 hours.
