A statement released on Sunday by the Human Rights Defenders Coalition (HRDC) has called out the TONSE administration for having a “lacklasture” approach towards combating and containing the second wave of the pandemic in the country.

HRDC Executive Director Gift Trapence and National Coordinator Luke Tembo have stated in the statement, that healthcare workers are not being given adequate equipment despite being at the warfront of a disease that has claimed over 300 lives, including those of two Cabinet ministers namely Sidik Mia and Lingson Belekanyama. “We would thus request that the government direct resources towards fighting this pandemic, even if it means rerouting resources from other budget lines.”

On the same day, President Lazarus Chakwera recently announced a K17 billion strategy aimed at facilitating the hiring of new healthcare frontline workers and the construction of new treatment units to complement overwhelmed public hospitals. Under new restrictions, the introduction of night curfews from 21:00 local time to 5am and the reduction of public gatherings from 100 people to 50.