By Romeo Umali
Events organisers have expressed displeasure over the new Coronavirus preventive measures, saying many event organisers have already sold tickets and paid artists for events this month.
The guidelines imposed on December 22 include restrictions on public gatherings with all gatherings allowed to have a maximum of 100 people.
Event planner, Emman Flame Umodzi, showed his displeasure over the 100 people limit as he called it a guideline that is inconsiderate.
“Every December, us, event organisers and other stakeholders, including artists too, organise events in a case of making money, whilst making Malawian citizens happy in terms of entertaining them. With the New Covid-19 measures, every organiser or artist has been affected both psychologically and financially as others got paid when they were booked and, us, event organisers already paid for everything so that our events should not flop. So these measures are a complete blow to us,” Umodzi said.
However, Phyzix’s publicist, Donata Mpochera, who is also an event organiser, has welcomed the new guidelines.
She said even though the measures have affected her, they are important since coronavirus preventive measures were not being adhered to at entertainment events.
“I believe this is one way as a country we need to start being serious because an event organiser is one of the voices of the people to remind them about Covid-19 measures.
“Shows were being held, yes. All precautions were also being publicised, but people never valued [the measures], it was risky for them, due to large numbers of attendees,” she explained.
South African scientists and health officials announced on Friday last week the discovery of a new lineage of the coronavirus called ‘501. V2’ that has quickly come to dominate samples of virus tested in South Africa.
In Malawi, meanwhile, the rise in Coronavirus has forced the presidential taskforce to close the country’s borders for the next 14 days.
This has come at a time when Labour Minister Ken Kandodo has been hospitalized in Lilongwe, at the Kamuzu Central Hospital isolation center, after testing positive for the new novel coronavirus (501.V2).
Information provided by the Ministry of health indicate that Blantyre is the most hit district with 2, 065 cases reported and 21 Cases still active. A total of 6, 248 cases have been confirmed nationwide, the cases include 210 active cases, 5, 668 recoveries and 187 deaths.
