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| Dr John Magufuli The President of Republic of Tanzania |
Since the time this deadly pandemic was announced in December 2019 there have been many struggles and deaths across the globe and many countries being placed under stiff measures and some getting into lockdowns.
This has not been the case with Tanzania government as they received and accepted Covid-19 disease as any disease like HIV/AIDS, Diabetes, Bp and others.
Tanzania never go into lockdown and also never put strict measures and that helped many people not to develop much fear in them. The country rushed to make a purchase of believed a curing herbal medicine in Madagascar as it was announced by the president in the country.
Tanzania reported the first case of the coronavirus on 15 March 2020. Since then, President Magufuli has declared that Tanzania largely succeeded in reducing the spread of the disease specifically economic effects.
On 16 June the President addressed the Parliament in Dodoma: “we decided to face Coronavirus disease by putting God first, by so doing we have been able to solve this problem to the large extent.”
In the first days, COVID-19 was perceived as a dangerous, killer disease, a view attributed in part to the President’s expression who stressed to the nation its deadly nature and advised people to take serious measures to prevent infection. The majority of people in Tanzania thereafter began washing hands with water and soap, maintaining social distancing, wearing face masks and other activities outlined by the ministry of health to prevent infection. Indeed, shops, hospitals, banks and other service providers put buckets of water and soap at building entrances.
The President appeared on the television encouraging the people to use local herbal medicine as well. The President also encouraged churches and mosques to respond to the virus and, in a speech the same month, he advised religious leaders of all faiths to conduct prayers with believers to ask God for intervation.
This was a call he refuted later, in a new version which encouraged people not to be afraid: COVID-19 can be overcomed through prayers. The speech eased people’s hearts from the deep fears in regards to the virus being as a deadly disease and created new hope across the Eastern African Nation.
In the recent reports it is heard that western countries warning it’s citizens about the risks they can be aware of when visiting Tanzania. Some notable countries are USA, Canada and Britain.
Current number of Covid-19 related deaths is not known as the government stopped publishing such information that was bringing much fear on its citizens.
