In a bid to contain coronavirus infestation, the Department of Immigration and Citizenship Services has closed its offices in the Central Region.
Service provision has been suspended for three days to pave the way for disinfection of the offices.
Central Region Immigration spokesperson Ealack Banda said the development means no services would be offered at Lilongwe offices between today and Wednesday.
“Those that need to access services from the department will have to wait till Thursday,” he said.
Banda said, while department leaders understood that the office was of strategic importance, they wanted to prioritise human life, hence the decision to disinfect the offices first.
“So, while the offices are being disinfected, officers will have time to get tested for Covid. We believe that the activity will create a safer environment for officers and clients alike because only those who will test negative for coronavirus will return to work on Thursday this week.
“It is true that services will be affected and we apologise to the public and our clients for the inconvenience caused,” he said.
He, however, said Visa services would still be accessed at Kamuzu International Airport during the three days.
The Malawi Electoral Commission (Mec) on July 25 this year also announced the closure of its head office in Blantyre for 10 days after 23 of its members of staff tested positive for coronavirus.
Mec Chief Elections Officer Sam Alfandika said the closure was meant to prevent the further spread of the disease among staff.
He further said members of staff would undergo mandatory Covid tests between February 3 and 4 to enable all staff to check their status before returning to work on February 8.
Mathews Kasanda is a journalist who holds a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from University of Malawi (The Polytechnic).
In 2015, Media Institute of Southern Africa awarded him the Best Print Media Education Journalist of the Year accolade.
He joined Times Group Newsroom in September 2019.