COVID-19 screening intensifies at Songwe Border
Karonga District Hospital (KDH) has scaled up its efforts in ensuring that the influx of COVID-19 positive cases into the country is barricaded following the institution of health personnel at the Songwe Border Post—to the north of the lakeshore district—exclusively dedicated towards the screening of Coronavirus cases.
A drive through the border post by Nyasa Times on Friday noted that the team of staff from KDH was demanding a COVID-19 Negative Certificate which must have obtained in the last 72 hours before arrival at the border.
Temperatures were being taken, and there were also question and answer sessions between health personnel and the new arrivals on where they had travelled to prior.
Director of Health Services at KDH, David Sibale, said they were doing their best to make sure they minimise the entry of more cases through the Songwe Border.
Sibale said with the third wave of Coronavirus hitting hard in such countries as Brazil, Bangladesh and India, they could not take chances.
“You should understand that not all of those people coming from these countries [Brazil, Bangladesh and India] are coming through the Kamuzu International Airport (KIA). Some can as well land in neighbouring countries and use the road to enter this country through the border such as the Songwe Border hence our intensification with the screening exercises,” said Sibale
Sibale said his office was working hand in hand with such departments as the Malawi Revenue Authority (MRA) and Immigration so that they have “a unity of purpose.”
He said: “We are liaising with our colleagues in these departments [Immigration and MRA] so that, for example, MRA should not clear anyone until we have screened them and certified that they are good to go.”
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All I know is that our borders are closed. If the has opened them it should publicly announce. Some of us are failing to travel out of the country thinking there is a ban.