AfricaPress-Tanzania: AS the number of those confirmed to have contracted Covid 19 infection reaches 12 in Tanzania and is fast spreading like veld fire across the world, the government has strengthened the fight against the pandemic.
On Sunday, President John Magufuli issued new measures aimed at curbing the spread of the deadly coronavirus.
Among the new measures include strengthening the national committee responsible for the fight against the virus.
The committee is led by Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa and Minister for Health, Community Development, Gender, Elderly and Children Ummy Mwalimu.
Other new measures include 14-day self-quarantine for travellers who arrive from most affected countries, and the government Chemist Laboratory Authority (GCLA) needs to be strengthened and equipped with high-tech machines to ensure competent operations.
Another new measure is to ensure all attendants at the country’s entry points are supplied with inspection machines and protective gear.
Moreover, the government has suspended all foreign travel permits for its officials anticipating to travel to any coronavirus affected country.
President Magufuli’s decision to announce these measures is indicative of the seriousness Tanzania has with regard to the fight against coronavirus and so every Tanzanian must play his/her role well to contain the deadly disease.
However, Tanzanians are also reminded to remain calm and avoid unnecessary panic during this time when the whole world is fighting against the disease.
Yes, panicking won’t help us fight against the deadly virus. Instead, it will just lead us to extreme poverty and collapse of the economy.
As the Head of State said, each person must adhere to the guidelines stipulated by the responsible authorities regarding the virus.
This will help members of the public continue with socioeconomic activities for the development of the nation.
Globally, there is no doubt that the coronavirus outbreak is a human tragedy and has a growing impact on the global economy.
On airline business alone, the potent combination of trip cancellations and country-specific restrictions on international flights has had a staggering impact on the $880bn global airline industry.
Nearly all countries have some type of travel advisory in place, with many encouraging people to avoid non-essential travel even before COVID-19 was officially considered a pandemic by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
The earliest impacts of these were felt in February, as flight capacity in and out of China dropped sharply around the Lunar New Year.
The country’s sharpest year-over-year drop was recorded on February 17, 2020, with a 71 per cent drop in flights compared to the same date in 2019.
Tanzania is not spared from these economic challenges. However, still the country is in a position to win this battle.
As the President said, we need not to panic, but must work hard and observe medical guidelines.
