Coronavirus: Tanzania rules out lockdown to save economy

17 Mai 2020

Dar es Salaam, Tanzania,  May 17  (Infosplusgabon) - Tanzanian President Dr John Pombe Magufuli has ruled out a lockdown for his country amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, saying the move would affect the economy.

In a televised address to the nation here Sunday, President Magufuli said Tanzania, as an independent nation, would not give in and allow to be ruled by COVID-19 at the expense of the economy.

He said Tanzania would not close its borders because of the country’s belief in the integration of regional economies.

“We share borders with eight countries, so if we close our borders, we’ll be destroying their economies. Most of these countries depend on Tanzania for their supply of food,” said Magufuli, after a church service at his home town of Chato in north-western Tanzania.

He said closing borders would also mean closing economic opportunities and livelihood to people who depend on movements across the countries.

Tanzania borders Kenya, and Uganda in the north, Rwanda, Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in the west, Malawi and Zambia in the southern west and Mozambique in the south.

The president said Tanzania’s economy was presently in the right track and that the country was removing the requirement for quarantine on tourists in a bid to heighten tourism.

He said the decision was reached after noting that the number of COVID-19 cases in hospitals across the country was going down.

Dr Magufuli attributed the decrease in the number of cases to the grace of God following national prayers held in April 2020.

“According to available figures, the number of patients at Amana hospital which used to accommodate 198 cases, has gone down to 12,” he said, adding that if the situation remained unchanged until next week, the government would consider reopening colleges to allow students to continue with their studies.

Tanzania closed down schools and colleges and went on to ban public gatherings, including sports activities, shortly after the first Covid-19 case was registered in the country on 16 March, 2020.

FIN/ INFOSPLUSGABON/BVC/GABON2020

© Copyright  Infosplusgabon