Malawi gives cash to virus-hit households

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

Eligible households will receive a monthly payment of 35,000 Malawian Kwacha ($47; £38) starting in May.

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

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

Malawi has recorded 36 cases of coronavirus, including three deaths.