People in the country have expressed concern over the use of Kamuzu Stadium as a waiting area for Malawians who have been repatriated from South Africa.
About 400 people who have returned from South Africa were moved from Mwanza Border to Kamuzu Stadium as they await to be tested for Coronavirus.
The Ministry of Health said they moved the people to Kamuzu Stadium so that the returnees should be near a testing centre.
“We wanted them to be near to the testing centre so that once they get their results they should be dispatched for quarantine or otherwise,” said Director of Health in the Ministry of Health Dr. Charles Mwansambo.
According to the Ministry of Health, people who get tested at the stadium are allowed to leave for quarantine after their test.
But Malawians have questioned the move saying athletes who were using the facility for individual training are at risk.
“Our athletes who do their own trainings will be affected as well. So the best way is that the stadium officials must not accommodate athletes as of now until the exercise ends,” said analyst George Chiusiwa said.
There are also concerns that the pitch at the stadium will be damaged as the returnees were eating their food on the pitch.
“Over 400 returnees were on this week driven in buses to the stadium with the buses parking at the artificial turf and some using part of the ground to play social football,” wrote Gerald Kampanikiza on Facebook.
Some commenters on Kampanikiza’s post faulted government for not using Covid-19 funds to build isolation facilities.
In Malawi, 101 coronavirus cases have been recorded and 13 are returnees who arrived in the country over the weekend.
