Living dangerously in Malawi amid Covid-19
As of Monday, 25 May, 2020, Malawi had registered a total of 101 Covid-19 cases. While still low compared to other countries around the world, the figures do represent an upward curve in infections. In their reaction to the latest update, however, most Malawians do not seem to be bothered at all.
Moving around the country’s major cities and towns, one wonders if people are aware of the scale of the pandemic that has taken the lives of hundreds of thousands of people globally.
“Coronavirus is fake,” says Effie Mailosi, a door to door vegetable seller in my hood, area 49 in Lilongwe. As I engage her in a conversation, she continues: “It’s been months since we started hearing about this virus, why are the numbers not alarming and why only a few deaths have been reported here as compared to the reports we hear on the radio about other countries? It simply means we are safe here.”
This view of the novel coronavirus is widespread in the country, especially in the rural areas. For most, life continues very much as it has always done. Even though schools are still closed, church services, and other social gatherings like political campaigns, are taking place. The country is expected to hold a rerun of the presidential election in late June.
As psychotherapist Diana Barth writes in this article, people seem to be in denial. Something needs to be done, and very fast, before the situation gets out of hand.
“Breeding Covid-19”
Going by the current trends, people in the country are living dangerously. There are many potential Covid-19 breeding sites that need close regulation to contain the spread of the virus.
So far, civic education drives by the government, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and other actors, do not seem to be making much headway. Many are calling for more decisiveness from the government in convincing citizens that this of pandemic poses a real threat to their lives.
As if to press home this point, more than 480 Malawians recently arrived in the country from South Africa, where they had gone in search of greener pastures. They were, however, forced to return following sharpened Covid-19 restrictions by the South African government. According to media reports that some who were placed on quarantine upon arriving in Malawi have escaped without trace, while others have been spotted loitering around Chichiri shopping center in the capital, Blantyre.
It does appear, however, that this turn of events may finally help pull some people out of their apathy, as fears grow about possible Covid-19 contagion.
Looking into the future
One of the weakest links in containing the spread of the virus is busy public areas, such as markets. There is a great need to intensify protective measures in such places, as most people have no other option for buying food and other essentials.
The spokesperson for Malawi’s Ministry of Agriculture, Priscilla Mateyu, explains that irrespective of all the containment measures being put in place, agricultural activities, as an essential service, must continue to operate normally. “All we are doing is making sure that preventive measures and guidelines are being followed at all costs,” she notes.
She further underscores the role of local councils in enforcing measures that have been put in place to reduce Covid-19 infections.
Nonetheless, even the most comprehensive measures can only work if everyone abides by the rules. Going by what is actually happening around markets and other public places, it appears that the country is waiting for a big disaster to happen.
It can only be hoped that all the seriousness of the situation will become clear to all segments of society. Otherwise, I fear that if we continue to watch events unfold as they are, we may be facing a very bleak future.
Written by Nellie Kanyemba Kapatuka
This article is part of Covid-19 Food/Future, an initiative under TMG ThinkTank for Sustainability’s SEWOH Lab project (https://www.tmg-thinktank.com/sewoh-lab). It aims at providing a unique and direct insight into the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic on national and local food systems. Also follow @CovidFoodFuture, our Video Diaries From Nairobi, and @TMG_think on Twitter. Funding for this initiative is provided by BMZ, the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development.
