AfricaPress-Tanzania: Dar es Salaam residents were left with no option but cope with new reality, entering community places with masked faces.
Monday marked the first day of a new order in which the regional government directed mass use of masks in community settings as a way to prevent infection with Covid-19.
A visual of people covering their mouths and noses painted the commercial city of Dar es Salaam, with a variety of masks from industrial to homemade.
Dar es Salaam region, the busiest and highly populated with around 6million people, has become the epicentre of the highly infectious disease, first reported in Tanzania in the northern region of Arusha on March 16, 2020.
Alarmed with the rapid spread of the novel virus, Dar es Salaam Regional Commissioner Paul Makonda issued the mass masking directive to limit infections.
From Monday (yesterday), he ordered, anyone getting out from his or her home to wear a mask or cover their mouths and noses with whatever piece of cloth.
His order came just a few days after the Minister for Health, Community Development, Gender, Elderly and Children, Ms Ummy Mwalimu, stated that the government may consider issuing new directives over use of masks among health individuals.
The minister noted that studies have proved that the disease is airborne.
A survey by the ‘Daily News’ in the city centre yesterday observed high compliance from Dar es Salaam dwellers, where many put on either face masks, piece of clothes or handkerchiefs to ensure they covered their mouths and noses as directed.
At Ferry area, one of the bodaboda riders was heard warning his colleagues: “if you go to town without wearing a face mask you will be in big trouble.”
It was apparent that the masking message had reached and comprehended by almost every ordinary citizen in the city.
Scenes at Posta and Kariakoo areas were similar as the majority of City dwellers wore masks.
Not only at City centre, even in the streets many people complied with the new requirement.
For instance, in Kigamboni and Mbagala districts, many residents were seen in the streets covering their mouths and noses.
Mr Iddi Abdallah, a trader at Kariakoo, told the ‘Daily News’ as the day started for the usual busy market yesterday, everyone around was wearing a face mask or at least covering their faces with handkerchiefs.
“From morning, everyone I came across was wearing a mask or handkerchief, people are really complying with the directive,” Mr Abdallah said.
He confirmed to this paper that prices of handkerchiefs have gone up following high demand as many people could not afford buying face masks, sold at between 2000/- and 3000/- for surgical masks and up to 10,000/- for N95 masks.
Before the order, the cheapest handkerchief was sold at 500/-, but this time the price has shot up to 1000/- as traders take advantage of the situation.
The Regional Commissioner’s campaign went further to stop gatherings at bars and restaurants, telling the owners to opt ‘take away’ mode of serving their customers.
This paper also took time to make follow up on whether the bars and restaurants in the city obeyed the order.
A two-day survey conducted on Friday and Saturday– days in which most people prefer to hang out at entertainment joints, showed a promising level of compliance.
In the three districts of Kinondoni, Ilala and Temeke bars were seen with few chairs, with customers compelled to buy takeaway drinks or foods.
Even barmaids were few as there were few customers to serve.
One of the barmaids at the Great Bar at Tabata, Ms Jane Mushi, told this paper that the number of customers has significantly dropped since the Regional Commissioner issued the order a week ago.
