President Dr Lazarus Chakwera has gone into 21 days of prayer and fasting seeking divine intervention from God to end the COVID-19 pandemic in the country.
Dr Chakwera says as Malawians join hands in combating further spread of COVID-19 pandemic, seeking God’s grace to end the pandemic is also paramount.
The Malawi leader was speaking Sunday from Kamuzu Palace in Lilongwe in a special address to the nation.
He argued the apparent complacency in adhering to COVID-19 prevention measures particularly during the festive season has eroded the gains already made on the global health pandemic.
The President says this is costing many lives and putting extreme pressure on the health system.
“During the festive season many of us relaxed our vigilance against the virus and now we are paying the price. We are paying the price because many of us are back to our old ways of not wearing masks, many of us are back to our old ways of not maintaining a distance from others, many of us are back to our old ways of not washing our hands regularly.
“We simply cannot afford this virus advance further, we need to stop it in its tracks before it conducts yet another crusade of deaths in our midst,” says the President.
Dr Chakwera says in 24 hours space from Christmas to Boxing Day, 66 new infections were recorded. He said it is shocking that on average the country is registering 120 new COVID-19 cases.
Against this background the Malawi leader calls on all citizens to be diligent and fight the pandemic by simply abiding to set guidelines on COVID-19 prevention.
The President has also tasked security agencies to enforce the gazetted legislation on COVID-19 measures to keep in check further spread of the virus.
“We need to keep fighting because this virus has intensified it’s war against humanity. This virus is no respecter of persons. It does not care how much money you have, how much young or old you are or how much power you have. All of us are at risk. Because we are at risk let us obey the guidelines for preventing further spread of the virus,” says Dr Chakwera.
The Malawi leader has further urged everyone to take full responsibility in protecting oneself and others. He has advised that suspected cases of COVID-19 should isolate immediately and contact health officials if having difficulties in breathing and other related signs and symptoms.