Malawi was plunged into mourning on Tuesday amid reports that two cabinet ministers succumbed to COVID-19 within hours of one another.
Secretary to the President and Cabinet, Zanga-Zanga Chikhosi said Transport Minister Sidik Mia and Transport Minister Lingson Belekanyama both died on Tuesday due to COVID-19 complications.
“President Dr Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera is deeply saddened by the demise of two senior cabinet ministers today,” Chikhosi said on Tuesday.
He said Chakwera has ordered a three-day mourning period until January 14 in honour of the departed ministers and other Malawians who have lost their lives due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Malawi has experienced a surge in COVID-19 infections in recent weeks, with more than 450 new cases and 10 deaths reported in the past 24 hours alone.
The country has so far recorded over 9,000 cases and 235 deaths since March 2020.
JN/APA