AfricaPress-Tanzania: TANZANIA’S colleges and tourism destinations could reopen soon with latest statistics showing a steady slowdown in coronavirus cases in the country’s hospitals.
This was revealed by President John Magufuli yesterday during a Sunday Service at the Chato Parish of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania (ELCT), Geita region.
In his special message to the nation, President Magufuli said there was a prosing downward trend in numbers of new Covid-19 patients in various hospitals.
He said if the rate of transmission would continue to shrink this week, he would sanction the reopening of colleges, sports as well as tourism activities across the country.
The government closed schools, including universities, sports activities and other crowd-pulling events across the country as part of efforts to curb the spread of the coronavirus.
Other measures taken by Tanzania included suspending passenger flights; hand-washing stations installed outside shops and ordered mass wearing of face masks in Dar es Salaam, the epicentre of the disease.
With the disease wreaking havoc across the globe, people have been seeking a sense of assurance that although times are tough, they should still embrace life and fight the pandemic with a strong hand.
This is exactly what President Magufuli once again offered his citizens as he addressed the nation from Geita; issuing a much-needed uplifting message that Tanzanians will rise from the pandemic stronger, wiser and more capable than before.
“There has been a lot of propaganda and politics in this, but as the country we have remained firm and strong on fighting this pandemic, the fight against coronavirus is like any other wars,” he said.
“We are an independent nation; we cannot allow Coronavirus to control our lives. We give everything to our Lord; he is the one who leads us but not this novel virus. We give first priority to our country’s economy, life must go on,” said President Magufuli.
Encouraged by the Covid-19 slowdown, President Magufuli promised to cautiously lead Tanzanians back to normal life, starting with the reopening of colleges in the next few days “for students to continue with their studies.”
Dr Magufuli delivered more good news for tourist stakeholders, saying, many tourists have already booked flights to Tanzania and that the industry will soon get back to normal business.
“I know there are some international flights that are fully booked until August, this year, and I have instructed ministers for Natural Resources and Tourism and the one for Works, Transport and Communications to allow the flights to land in the country with no conditions,” he noted.
Upon their arrival, Dr Magufuli said the tourists would only undergo thermo scanner tests and if their temperature would be okay with no Coronavirus symptoms, they would be allowed to proceed to their preferred destinations.
“They’re coming to Tanzania because they know the truth and they love the country,” said President Magufuli.
They won’t even be put under the mandatory 14-day quarantine as was instructed before, assured the president.
“Let them come and enjoy the beauty of our country with vast natural resources,” urged Dr Magufuli.
The tourism and hospitality industry is one of the major sources of employment, tax revenue, and foreign exchange earnings to Tanzania.
Tourism is the leading foreign currency earner and key contributor to the country’s economy. The sector contributes 25 per cent of foreign currency and 17 per cent to the Gross Domestic Product (DGP), according to official records from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism.
Following the outbreak of Coronavirus, most countries, including curtailed movement of people from the Covid-19 countries as a measure to control the spread of the virus.
Tanzania also restricted arrivals from the affected countries, including Italy and China, both of which had in recent years been a major source of tourists.
The reopening of the key economic sector would bail out thousands of Tanzanians employed in the tourist industry and help mitigate the economic effects of the contagion.
Giving the latest data on confirmed Coronavirus cases in the country, President Magufuli said there were few patients in government and private health facilities and most of them were in good condition.
“Most of them are in good shape and healthy but are forced to remain in hospitals only because they still test positive for the Covid-19,” noted Dr Magufuli.
Giving the breakdown, President Magufuli said as of yesterday the number of patients at Amana hospital was 12, a massive drop from 198 patients.
Other facilities and the number of patients in brackets are Mloganzila (6), Lulanzi centre in Kibaha District, Coast Region (22 patients), Aga Khan Hospital (31), Hindu Mandal (16), Regency Hospital (17), TMJ (7) and Rabinisia Hospital (14).
He said in Arusha region, there are three centers of which Moshono has 11 patients, while the Nyiorendeki in Longido and Dofu in Karatu have no patients.
In Mwanza region, where there are ten centres, as of yesterday, Buswelu had two patients, Misungwi (2) while Ukerewe, Magu, Mkuyuni, Buchosa, Sengerema and Kwimba have no patients of Coronavirus as of yesterday.
“Bugando and Sekou Toure hospitals have two patients under special doctors’ attention since they have other health complications, same to Dodoma where there are two patients of Coronavirus,” he said.
Since the outbreak of the deadly respiratory disease in the country, President Magufuli’s government has resisted draconian measures such as lockdowns.
The Head of State insisted that he didn’t buy the idea of locking down the country or closing borders because of the respect he has to all the neighboring countries and the business that people of the two parts have been enjoying.
“We are a free country, so there was no need to allow the Coronavirus to take control of us, again locking the country’s borders is an indirect way of locking the economy, we depend on each other,” he noted.
While the world ponders various measures to tame the dire impact of the novel Coronavirus, President Magufuli may go down in history as a statesman who perfected his Covid-19 response.
His no-lockdown approach is increasingly being emulated across the globe as governments and economists gradually realse the massive socio-economic burden brought by the lockdowns.
European Union becomes the latest global bloc to issue the anti-lockdown call, insisting people should get back to work and get economies moving again.
In a move that unarguably vindicates President Magufuli’s anti-lockdown stance, the EU is thus urging the reopening of borders closed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Already countries such as France, Austria and Switzerland have said they will start relaxing controls as early as this weekend.
Germany and some other EU members aim to completely end border restrictions by June 15.
After two months, Germany’s top flight league, Bundesliga resumed yesterday.
