Malawi launches cash aid for virus-hit households

Malawi's President Peter Mutharika has announced an emergency cash transfer programme for the people worst affected by Covid-19.

Eligible households will receive a monthly payment of 35,000 Malawian kwacha ($47; £38) by mobile cash transfer starting in May.

The announcement came after the High Court in Malawi extended an order preventing the government from implementing a three-week lockdown.

Human rights groups had complained that there was no safety net for the poorest people whose livelihoods would be affected.

The cash transfer programme would target just under one million people and small businesses affected by the coronavirus pandemic, President Mutharika said on Tuesday.

He did not offer details on how long the programme would run.

The southern African country has a population of about 18 million people.

It has so far recorded 36 cases of coronavirus, including three deaths.

Malawi is scheduled to hold a repeat presidential election in July after last year's vote was annulled by the constitutional court in February, citing widespread irregularities.

The president is appealing against the ruling.