10th January 2021
Fellow Malawians,
The Covid-19 pandemic is on the loose again. The virus is spreading again, and it is taking lives again.
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President of the Republic of Malawi, His Excellency Dr Lazarus Chakwera. |
We need to get our act together as a nation and take a stand against this enemy. During the festive season over the last few weeks, 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 the old ways of not wearing masks.
Many of us are back to the old ways of not maintaining our distance from others. Many of us are back to the old ways of not washing our hands regularly.
When I say many of us, I am including myself and all of us who are working in government.
But our collective relaxation against the virus needs to end with immediate effect. We simply cannot afford to let this virus advance any farther.
We must stop it in its tracks and stop it from conducting yet another crusade of death in our midst.
The speed at which the virus has been spreading since Christmas is very disturbing. Sixty-six new infections were confirmed between Christmas Day and Boxing Day.
And in the fortnight that has passed since, over 1500 new infections have been confirmed, which is an average of over 120 new infections every day, which is putting too much pressure on our health system and health workers. This cannot be allowed to continue.
If we as a nation do not fight off this virus until it is defeated; if we let down our guard and act as though there is no risk; if we keep flouting safety regulations as we have been doing, we will lose the gains we have all made to make Malawi safe.
We must all work together to stop that from happening. We must keep each other safe by obeying guidelines, including early closures of drinking places and restrictions on public gatherings, which many are still violating. Because of these lapses in vigilance, I have directed the Ministers of Homeland Security and Health to scale up the enforcement of Covid-19 safety guidelines with immediate effect.
I am confident that you as citizens will do your part to comply because we cannot afford to be complacent.
We need to keep fighting because this virus has intensified its war against humanity. There is now more than one strain of this virus and we need to do more to keep each other safe.
Thiss virus is no respecter of persons. It does not care how much money you have, how good looking you are, how much power you have, how young you are, or how old you are.
It does not even care whether you are in government or in opposition. It has now infected all sectors of society, including members of Parliament, members of Cabinet, members of the Media, and members of the Clergy.
All of us are at risk. And because all of us are at risk, all of us must do our part to obey the guidelines for preventing the spread of the virus: wear your mask, watch your distance, and wash your hands.
And if you have symptoms of infection, including shortness of breath, fever, and coughing, isolate yourself from others immediately and inform the health facility nearest to you.
Above all, as your thoughts turn towards God this Sunday, let us intensify our prayers to God for his mercy to come down to our deliverance.
I have personally joined our church in a program of 21-day fasting and prayer, and I encourage this nation to call on God. Wherever you are, as you fast and pray, God is able to do more than we can.
Thank you for listening.
God bless you and God bless Malawi.