Originally posted by the Voice of America.
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Malawi COVID-19 Cases Rise as Citizens Return from South Africa

Lameck Masina

   BLANTYRE - Malawi is seeing a surge in COVID-19 cases as citizens
   return from South Africa, the country hit harder than any other in
   Africa. Hundreds of returnees are expected to arrive in Malawi this
   week, raising fears the figures will increase even more.

   Out of nearly 1,000 Malawian migrant workers who recently came home,
   134 tested positive for the coronavirus, almost doubling the country's
   total cases. Malawi started registering a rise in COVID-19 cases on
   Thursday, a few days after the return of a group of migrant workers who
   had been stranded in South Africa because of a coronavirus lockdown.

   Of the 102 cases confirmed Thursday, 92 were among the returnees, the
   highest number of new cases in a single day since Malawi confirmed its
   first case on April 2.

   The trend continued this week. The Presidential Task Force on COVID-19
   said out of 52 cases confirmed Monday, 42 were from people who have
   just returned from South Africa.

   And in a more alarming development, about 400 returnees escaped last
   week from a stadium where they were being held in quarantine. Officials
   are concerned the escapees will spread the virus when they go back to
   the rural areas where most of them live.

   Dorothy Ngoma,former president of Malawi's National Organization of
   Nurses and Midwives,told VOA that it's time for Malawian political
   leaders and clergy to help teach people about ways to prevent the virus
   from spreading.

   "We must go house to house and I want to encourage UTM [United
   Transformation movement Party], Malawi Congress [Party], DPP
   [Democratic Progressive Party], whatever party; the chiefs, the
   churches to continue doing this 24 hours a day until we make sure that
   everybody understand," said Ngoma.

   Critics blame the government for failing to enforce anti-coronavirus
   measures, which include social distancing, use of face masks and
   closing borders to prevent imported coronavirus.

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