Blog Post #1: Malawi and Their Coronavirus Response

 

By: Sam Whitty

[A woman demonstrates how to properly wash one's hands at a cash distribution site in Malawi]

            As Covid-19 ravages through the rest of the world, Malawi is also struggling with their response to the pandemic. Malawi is one of the poorest countries in the world. Around 70% of the country lives below the international poverty line of $1.90 per day. On top of the overwhelming poverty in the country, many citizens are dealing with the impact of Cyclone Idai that swept through the region last year. The country depends on its subsistence farming, and much of last years harvest was destroyed by the cyclone. The storm also left nearly 90,000 people homeless last year. A country already troubled by food security issues, Malawi has yet to completely recover from the wrath of the cyclone. The current pandemic has only made matters worse.

            Before the country reported any cases of Covid-19, Malawian president Peter Mutharika declared the pandemic a "national disaster" in March. This came with a response plan that outlined new guidelines for dealing with the coronavirus. The response prohibited gatherings of over 100 people and closed schools and colleges. The president also banned incoming foreign travel from countries where the virus has spread, such as Italy and China. Any citizen that returned to Malawi was required to quarantine upon arrival. 

            With the emergence of confirmed cases in April, the government began making arrangements to release prisoners that had served a majority of their sentence for petty crimes to reduce overcrowding. They also imposed a 21 day lockdown and required companies to allow their vulnerable employees to work from home, but the lockdown was swiftly blocked by the courts because of how it would negatively impact the Malawian people and the economy. 

[Graph showing the amount of new cases of Covid-19 per day in Malawi]

            

            The regulations that were enacted by the Malawian government seem to have helped reduce the spread of the virus in the country. With the first cases showing up in the beginning of April, the country did not see a massive spike in cases until the end of May. Even so, the country has had only about 5,600 cases to date, and the national trend seems to show an improving situation. Compared to Zambia, a country neighboring Malawi with about 500,000 less people, Malawi has about 7,000 fewer confirmed cases of Covid-19. This demonstrates how successful Malawi has been at protecting its population of around 19 million people. Their success may also be due to Africa's relative isolation from other countries compared to Europe.

[Money being given out to those struggling with the pandemic]

            Although Malawi has been relatively fortunate regarding the pandemic, its recent disaster with Cyclone Idai and its ongoing struggle with poverty and food security make Malawi's recovery difficult. To combat the effects of the pandemic in Malawi, the World Bank has approved $37 million to support the country. In addition, the World Food Programme has distributed at least $350,000 to those vulnerable in the country according to the United Nations. International aid has helped the country cope with the current global situation.

            The current pandemic has challenged the people of Malawi and has left them with a long path to recovery. Already dealing with widespread poverty and an inconsistent farming economy, the country is struggling to survive. The outlook of the country is uncertain. If another natural disaster such as a drought destroys the crops yields of farmers throughout the country, the situation may be dire for many people in the country. Luckily, foreign aid and a strong governmental response to the pandemic have lessened the impact of the pandemic on the country, but the country may not be able to cope with similar problems in the future.

References

“Averting a COVID-19 Disaster in Malawi and Building Back Better.” Council on Foreign Relations, Council on Foreign Relations, 15 May 2020, www.cfr.org/blog/averting-covid-19-disaster-malawi-and-building-back-better.

BBC News. “Malawi’s Cash Handouts and the Row about a Coronavirus Lockdown.” BBC News, 29 Apr. 2020, www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-52471276.

Chilunga, Zawadi. “Mutharika Lays out Malawi 'Response Plan' on Coronavirus: Bans Gatherings of 100 People, Schools Closing.” Malawi Nyasa Times, 20 Mar. 2020, www.nyasatimes.com/mutharika-lays-out-malawi-response-plan-on-coronavirus-bans-gatherings-of-100-people-schools-closing/.

Chilunga, Zawadi. “Mutharika Urges Malawi Unity and ‘Steadfast’ in Covid-19 Fight: Announce New Measures to Stop Spread of Outbreak.” Malawi Nyasa Times, 4 Apr. 2020, www.nyasatimes.com/mutharika-urges-malawi-unity-and-steadfast-in-covid-19-fight-announce-new-measures-to-stop-spread-of-outbreak/.

Chimbali, Henry. “World Bank Approves $37 Million Support for COVID-19 Response in Malawi.” World Bank, 15 Apr. 2020, www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2020/04/15/world-bank-approves-37-million-support-for-covid-19-response-in-malawi.

“Malawi Braces for Covid-19.” United Nations, United Nations, 2020, www.un.org/en/coronavirus/malawi-braces-covid-19.

Masina, By Lameck. “UN in Malawi Launches Emergency Appeal for COVID-19 Response.” Voice of America, 5 May 2020, www.voanews.com/covid-19-pandemic/un-malawi-launches-emergency-appeal-covid-19-response.

Roser, Max. “Malawi: Coronavirus Pandemic Country Profile.” Our World in Data, 26 May 2020, ourworldindata.org/coronavirus/country/malawi?country=%7EMWI.