Splendid Isolation?

We returned to Malawi last week, escaping the UK on lockdown day. We’ve arrived back as the country is experiencing a rise in coronavirus cases which is being attributed to the South African variant.

Essential Travel

In a journey that was full of hurdles that could have seen us returning to Edinburgh, we’re thankful that all of the details worked out and we were able to travel smoothly. (Essential) International travel can give an insight into how culture and coronavirus collide. When we left Malawi back in March 2020 our short layover in Addis Ababa saw travellers hurriedly returning home as lockdowns were being introduced worldwide. Most travel within Africa had already ground to a halt so the airport was a mix of Chinese travellers in plastic suits, masks and gloves and bewildered ‘western’ travellers adjusting to a last-minute need to return home to brace for the impending storm.

On our return trip to Malawi, as social media trilled with calls for border closures, we sat on full planes and in busy airports to get ‘home’ to Mzuzu. A reminder that we all live in very different circumstances and a journey that might seem a wreckless luxury to some, is truly essential for others.

The Malawi Border

Since arriving back we’ve spent four days at home and have another week of isolation ahead of us. We’ve unpacked our luggage and are trying to restore some sense of order in our home. With friends dropping off food and a garden to enjoy we’re more than comfortable. With access to the internet for work, entertainment and education we’re aware that we’d fair well if restrictions were necessary. That is not the case for the majority of Malawians who rely on the day’s work for the evening meal.

While our return was straightforward and safely managed at the airport, that is not everyone’s experience. Returnees from South Africa, particularly deportees returning by bus, are held in a prison college facility until their COVID status can be confirmed. This has resulted in unrest within the makeshift facility, with many escaping quarantine or being arrested. These are often people who’ve went to South Africa to find work to provide for themselves and their families. However, coronavirus has made this near impossible and so they are deported, with large numbers contracting the virus in detention centres and en route home.

Some might criticise Malawi for being too relaxed in the face of this pandemic. However, what is a single emergency for some cultures, is yet another crisis on a list of daily burdens. COVID-19 statistics are patchy, but the death toll is unlikely to rival that of malaria, HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis or childbirth. Malawians do not embrace death, but experience leads many to accept its presence much more readily than we would in the UK.

We’re glad to be back. We don’t know what the coming weeks will hold for us, for Malawi. “We’re all in the same storm, but we’re not all in the same boat.”