This archive report was first published on 6 July 2020.
Malawi's new president, Lazarus Chakwera, has made significant changes to the country's planned independence celebrations and inauguration, citing concerns over the spread of COVID-19.
Originally, the events were set to take place at Lilongwe's football stadium, with a huge jamboree expected to draw large crowds.
However, on Saturday, President Chakwera announced that the stadium's capacity would be halved to 20,000 to limit the spread of the virus.
But in a further move, the president has now cancelled the stadium festivities altogether, opting instead to hold the inauguration at a military barracks in front of a limited audience of 100 specially-invited guests.
Published on July 6, 2020, the cancellation comes as a dampener on the euphoria generated by the historic opposition triumph in a recent election re-run, after last year's fraudulent polls were overturned.
