A health expert has urged people in the country to follow campaign rallies on radio to prevent the spread of the Coronavirus.
Balaka District Office (DHO) Community Health Coordinator John Chiwaya said this in an interview on Tuesday at Balaka Stadium after a review meeting organised to update the media on how the district has fared in response to Covid-19 threat.
Chiwaya asked political party followers to make decisions that may not put them at risk of contracting the virus by following campaign messages from the radios or observing social distance at campaign rallies.
He also advised journalists working in the district to conduct themselves with utmost care as they discharge their duties during the fresh presidential election campaign going on in the country.
“We understand that you journalists have a bigger role to play in informing the masses on what the presidential candidates are promising the electorate, but at the same time you are supposed to make personal decision that will prevent you from contracting or transmitting of the virus,” said Mawaya.
He added that by observing social distance, journalists will protect communities they are working in as well as themselves and the people they interact with in their day to day activities.
In her closing remarks, Balaka’s District Information Officer Mary Makhiringa commended the DHO for the initiative saying to make the district Covid-19 free there is need for deliberate efforts for players to coordinate with the media.
“If the communities are misinformed it is because the media has not played its role to inform and disseminate relevant messages, therefore by engaging the media, it is a right step to win the fight against the virus,” said the DIO.
The review meeting comes as the district winds up the voter register update exercise that started on the 15th May, 2020.
Among other activities, the DHO has trained health workers, community and faith leaders and distributed personal protection equipment to communities.
The meeting was organized with funds from Onse.
