COVID-19: Malawians Buck Against Lockdown

At a time when countries hit by the novel coronavirus are implementing measures that can be helpful in the containment of the spread of the virus, like introducing nationwide lockdowns, much to the detriment of the economy and livelihoods of their citizens, a Malawian court has blocked the move by the president to enforce a lockdown, as many Malawians complain of hunger.

Speaking with AFP, a second-hand clothes trader, Thom Minjala, said, “Had the lockdown been implemented, we would certainly have died of hunger and not coronavirus."

Although Malawai has only recorded 17 coronavirus cases, President Peter Mutharika said that if the country does not institute a lockdown, the virus could spread across the country and killed over 50,000 people.

The opposition against the lockdown from people like Minjala arises from the fear that most Malawians who live on less than a dollar every day could die from the hunger faster than they would the disease.

Minjala explained, “Of course, we are afraid of the disease but our number one fear is hunger. 

"We don’t have any money to save, whatever we make from the daily sales is what feeds us for the day."

Citizens took to the streets shortly after Mutharika announced the lockdown on Tuesday, with the Human Rights Defenders Coalition going to court to secure a sevnen-day order that precludes the lockdown from taking effect, describing the method as a “haphazard approach.”

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Gift Trapence, the human rights group head said, “What we want is a balance of human rights while fighting the pandemic. A lockdown is possible with sound measures and not the casual measures meant to foil people’s freedoms."

Some residents like George Mithengo, a vendor at Blantyre’s market said that the Malawian Government should emulate the steps of other countries where palliatives are being distributed to the vulnerables in the country.

He added, “But here they just said we are locking down. How did they expect us to survive? We could die in our homes."