Print this page BLANTYRE, MALAWI - Malawi has closed its borders after confirmed cases of COVID-19 jumped 75 percent in the past two weeks. Malawi authorities attribute the surge to relaxed preventive measures and increased cross-border traffic for the holidays. Health campaigners have welcomed the border closure, but say Malawi should also mandate face masks and sanitizers. Malawi reopened its borders and eased restrictions on social gatherings in October following a drastic fall in numbers of confirmed COVID- 19 cases. Dropping COVID-19 Infections in Malawi Breeds Complacency about Prevention Experts believe the drop is a result of less testing From a total of 1,065 active cases on October 3, the country’s total caseload dropped to just 30 as of December 11.