Government has announced that the country will train its medical personnel on coronavirus testing by end of March.

Minister of Health and Population Jappie Mhango made the remarks during a press conference by the Special Cabinet Committee on Corona Virus- COVID-19 in Blantyre on Tuesday.

Mhango said so far no coronavirus case has been registered in the country.

On march 7 this year, social media platforms were awash with reports that Blantyre had recorded a case of corona virus after a 21 year old woman from china flew into Malawi and started presenting signs of chest tightness and difficulties in breathing.

Mhango said as part of preparedness for the outbreak, government will ensure that the country has capacity to test for the virus by end of March as currently samples are taken to South Africa for Corona test.

“Currently, we have all the materials but we lack is human capacity to do the test, through the support of various organization like WHO, we can confirm that we will be able to conduct Corona test in this country,” said Mhango who is chairing the committee.

He said Malawian students in China will not be evacuated but rather those affected with the lock down will be provided with an additional stipend.

During the meeting, Minister of Information and Civic Education- Mark Botomani appealed to the media to ensure objective reporting on vital issues like Corona virus to avoid misleading the public.

So far government has attended to 233 people while 111 are still under self-isolation or quarantine.