AfricaPress-Tanzania: MOST ministries and government institutions yesterday announced bold measures against limiting further the spread of Covid-19 by directing members of the public to ensure they wore facemasks whenever they visited public offices.
In statements issued on different occasions, they appealed to members of the public to opt for online services as they would be well served by the institutions, should it be a must to visit their offices, then they must wear facemasks.
Some of the institutions which issued such statements are the Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA), the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF), Tanesco and some water and sewerage utilities countrywide.
The move is in line with an upward incidence of Covid-19 infections, which had reached 170 by Sunday.
“Effective tomorrow (yesterday) all visitors coming to TRA offices countrywide, must wear facemasks as a protective measure against the spread of coronavirus as we join government efforts to ensure the disease is contained,” reads part of the statement.
Moreover, they have been directed to wash their hands with water and soap or use sanitisers before entering any office.
The move intends to give preventive measures without affecting businesses and services.
Moreover, with the ongoing lockdown of varied economic activities throughout the world due to fast spreading of the Covid-19 pandemic, agricultural experts in the country have stressed a need for intensified agricultural researches and field tours, with a view to serving the nation’s future economy.
They are of the view that, researches play a big role in advancing the key sector which the nation’s economy depends on, with current statistics indicating that at least 80 per cent of Tanzanians are employed in the sector.
Apart from the fact that the agricultural sector accounts for 30 per cent of the country’s GDP, the sector is likely to be affected, leading to economic hardships in the future.
In an exclusive interview with Senior Plant Breeder for TARI-Hombolo Centre, Dr Lameck Nyaligwa, insisted that researches were key for the progress of the crucial sector.
“Farmers are important stakeholders in seed breeding processes, particularly, through the participatory variety selection (PVS).
For instance, Hombolo Centre is undertaking sorghum and millet preliminary yield trial which needs the participation of farmers to be approved,” he said.
He noted, however that for researched seeds to be approved by the Tanzania Official Seed Certification Institute (TOSCI), farmers must play pivotal role.
“There are a number of agricultural research projects under the lucrative financial funds from local and international organisations in the country, which can be hindered by the coronavirus curfew if the government will not treat this sector with utmost care,” he urged.
