AfricaPress-Tanzania: THERE has been a rising concern over the effectiveness of the measures particularly the lockdown approach imposed by nations in the world to combat the coronavirus pandemic.
This comes in the wake of the high number of cases and deaths recorded in the developed world that have the most advanced technology and high class health facilities.
For example, as of yesterday morning there were over 1.3 million confirmed cases in the US and 80,000 deaths due to coronavirus. In Italy there were more than 219,000 cases and 30,000 deaths.
In Spain over 224,000 and 26,600 deaths had been recorded.
The high number of cases and deaths recorded in the Western world is raising more questions than answers on the efficacy of the measures executed.
How could they be copied and pasted by other countries particularly the low income countries?
Former President Jakaya Kikwete once gave a famous Kiswahili aphorism ‘akili za kuambiwa changanya na za kwako’ that translates literally into ‘you should use your own brain in weighing up any advice you receive’.
This aphorism can be linked to the stand that Tanzania has maintained of not executing a copy and paste lockdown approach as one of the measures in the fight against the spread of coronavirus.
From the very beginning when the first case of the outbreak of Covid-19, President John Magufuli ruled out a lockdown approach instead urging people to stop panic but observe preventive and protective guidelines on the virus and at the same time participating in national building activities.
This does not mean that Tanzania is not taking any measures to combat the spread of the deadly virus in the country.
For example, the government has banned mass gatherings, schools, colleges and universities closed, obligatory wearing of facemasks, use of antiseptics, including hand sanitisers and the washing of hands.
Although Tanzania has executed no lockdown approach other measures have been effective with the number of confirmed cases as of yesterday being 501 and 21 deaths.
Analysts are questioning the effectiveness of the one-size-fits all lockdown approach plus other measures implemented by the most hit countries in the developed world and how they could be copied and pasted in other countries.
To date most of these countries have started lifting bans of lockdown due to the rising heat of the adverse socioeconomic impact on society, particularly in developing economies.
For example, the neighbouring countries namely; Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Zambia and South Africa that imposed the one-size-fits-all approach to fight against the virus has started lifting the ban and open up some activities.
Likewise, the most hit developed world including the US, the United Kingdom, Italy, Spain and Germany have started easing the lockdown approach to let some activities start operating.
It is high time for countries in the world acted accordingly in finding best approaches that fit their context in time of outbreaks like the Covid-19 pandemic instead of copying and pasting other countries’ approaches.
