Wearing masks to be mandatory

Details have emerged that the government is working on gazetting rules and regulations that will see to it that Malawians are wearing masks on a mandatory basis to contain the spread of coronavirus.

On Tuesday, social media was awash with reports that the government has gazetted that wearing masks will be mandatory with those contravening the order required to pay fines.

Minister of Justice Titus Mvalo and Attorney General Chikosa Silungwe said they have not yet gazetted the laws.

Mvalo said they had meetings on the issue but he was not aware that the regulations had been gazetted and referred The Daily Times to Silungwe.

Silungwe said they are still working on the regulations.

“We are working on regulations. There is nothing gazetted as of now,” he said.

Social media reports indicated that failure to wear a mask in public will be a criminal offence and if found guilty one can be liable to pay a fine and failure to do so be imprisoned.

However, some people are of the view that once gazetted, the government should be providing masks to those who cannot afford to buy them.

A Lilongwe based woman Polina Musaya said the government should be providing the masks to the needy.

“Some Malawians in the villages cannot afford to buy the masks so government should be distributing to the less privileged,” said Musaya

As of Monday, the country had recorded 45 new Covid-19 cases with 4,231 total confirmed cases and out of which 2,189 being active, 1,919 recoveries and 123 deaths.