KIA gets Covid-19 face masks, government bans bush meat
Airport Development Limited (ADL) says the 5 000 face masks donated to Kamuzu International Airport (KIA) by Instacrete will motivate staff working in front-line duty posts amid the global coronavirus (Covid-19) threat.
ADL chief executive officer (CEO) Rhoda GadamaMisomali said front line officers face people travelling in and out of the country which puts them at high risk.
She said: “These people directly see travellers and in case a visitor who lands at the airport has the virus, then the officer is at high risk of contracting it so the masks will reduce this risk.”
On his part, Instacrete projects manager Mark Gerber said the company has donated the face masks to complement government efforts of preventing coronavirus in Malawi.
Meanwhile, government has banned the selling and consumption of bush meat as a precautionary measure against Covid-19.
Department of National Parks and Wildlife director Bright Kumchedwa said the move follows the outbreak of coronavirus that has also been detected in neighbouring Tanzania.
He was speaking yesterday when the department in collaboration with the Wild Life Trust (WLT)held a panel discussion in Lilongwe which revealed that most diseases which people face come from wild life.
According to Kumchedwa, government and its partners will embark on a mass sensitisation campaign to raise awareness on risks of consuming bush meat which is mostly poached in protected areas.
WLT campaigns manager Samantha Namputa said the trust will support the nation-wide campaign initiative by reaching out to schools and communities with messages of prevention.
The Ministry of Health and Population has been running campaigns aimed at sensitising people to the dangers of Covid-19, how it spreads and how to avoid contracting it. Among the steps taken by government is imposition of a 14-day self-quarantine for all travellers from countries with recorded coronavirus cases.
