Human rights defenders coalition has asked the Malawi Government to impose a lockdown due to the alarmingly increase of positive cases of the novel coronavirus.
The call comes after President Lazarus Chakwera’s government lost two powerful cabinet ministers; Alhajj Muhammed Sidik Mia and Lingson Belekanyama yesterday due to the Covid-19.
According to the statement signed by the coalition Chairperson, Gift Trapence and National Coordinator, Luke Tembo, the coalition has asked government for total enforcement of covid-19 guidelines if “we want to combat this pandemic”.
“The mandatory wearing of Mask, social distancing, washing and sanitizing must be enforced even if it means forcibly so. It is probably time that these numbers should be revised downwards,” part of the statement reads.
The coalition continued by asking government to close down Schools, Boarders, airports and social joints(Bars).
Last year, HRDC and other human rights groupings took a court injunction restraining former president Peter Mutharika from imposing a 21 day national lockdown.
HRDC argued that it felt that government had not clearly outlined cushioning measures for low income earners.
Over the last two weeks, there has been a general rise in new infections and deaths and the total confirmed cases are now slightly near 10 thousand.
Addressing the nation on Tuesday afternoon, President Lazarus Chakwera called upon Malawians to unite in the fight of combating the pandemic – describing the time the country is passing in as the “Darkest Hour.”
