My name is Agness Ng’oma. I am a university student living in Mchinji, one of Malawi’s busiest border districts. As confirmed cases of COVID-19 continue to rise, young people in my area are now busy bringing awareness to their families and community on following government preventive measures on COVID-19. This pandemic is real, and we need to join hands in taking it seriously and fighting it.
As a U-Reporter, messages on COVID-19 from the U-Report platform have been very helpful during this time. It is from such messages where I first learnt about physical distancing, staying home, washing hands regularly with soap or hand sanitizer and avoiding touching eyes, nose and mouth. It is through these messages that I have been of great influence in changing attitudes among my people, family and friends on COVID-19 preventive measures.
As COVID-19 cases continue to rise, the government is recommending that everyone wears a face mask when going out in public. It is not just about saving ourselves but others as well. Face masks may help in preventing those who have COVID-19 from spreading the virus to others. It is incumbent upon us young people to make the wearing of face masks a new trend. We have done it before with other fashions, and we can do it again this time with face masks.
