Malawi records K80 billion loss in hospitality industry due to COVID-19 pandemic

Malawi has recorded a K80 billion loss in the hospitality industry because of the closure of some hospitality institutions in the country due to COVID-19, according to a news report by Nayasa Times.

Officials say the closure of some of the hospitality institutions has deprived the country of the much-needed forex.

Ministry of Tourism spokesperson Milca Manyozo has said the ministry has not been collecting K13 billion every month from hospitality centers due to the pandemic.

Manyozo has said that among other things, tourists have not been able to visit Malawi due to the closure of airports, land, and lake borders as a preventive measure of covid-19. She however said the ministry is working on measures meant to support the ailing but critical tourism industry. due to COVID-19.

To date, the country has recorded a total of 4714 confirmed cases, 2085 active cases, 35377 total number of tests conducted, and 152 deaths.

Recently, Malawi has made wearing masks mandatory in public places in an effort to curb a surge in COVID-19 cases.

The Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 said the rule went into effect Friday night, and those who do not adhere to it will pay a fine of about USD15. Some rights activists, however, say the government should have first distributed free masks to make the rule justifiable.

The mandate on face coverings is among various measures Malawi has taken to try to contain the COVID-19 surge. Other steps include barring traffic police from touching a driver's license or any other documents.