DAR ES SALAAM — Tanzania’s President John Magufuli is a happy man “because, through God’s grace, the number of COVID-19 infections in the country has gone down tremendously.”
Speaking during a Sunday Service at the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Tanzania at his Chato hometown, Magufuli said the number of COVID-19 infections in the country has dropped to low levels so much so that he was considering to reopen colleges and schools until next week.
“The figures in my hand show that at Amana Hospital, the number of Covid-19 patients had gone down from 198 to only 12,” he said.
The number of COVID-19 patients has gone down across all the major private hospitals.
The names of hospitals and number of patients as stated by President Magufuli include: Aga Khan Hospital (31), Hindu Mandal (16), Regency (17), TMJ (7), Rabinsia (14).
“So you can see the trend of how the Lord, our God, has responded to our prayers,” President Magufuli.
He said in Arusha, the government had set aside three centres which currently had a total of 11 inpatients only.
In Mwanza, there were a total of 10 centres which had a total of six inpatients only as of Sunday, May 17, 2020.
“Out of them, it is only two who are admitted at Sekou Toure and Bugando hospitals that need special care because they also have other ailments,” said President Magufuli.
Dodoma has a total of four centres. During the peak of the pandemic, there were a total of 40 inpatients across the centres but all – except two – have been treated and allowed to rejoin their relatives back home.
“The remaining two require intensive case because apart from Covid-19, they also have other ailments,” he said.
On April 17, President John Magufuli declared a three-day national prayers period to help combat the Covid-19.
He asked every faithful to pray for the country to overcome Covid-19 pandemic.
With the drop in Covid-19 patients, President Magufuli said on Sunday, May 17, 2020 that he was considering three more days of thanksgiving – starting Friday, May 22 – where Tanzanians would thank God for delivering them well in the country’s fight against Covid-19.
He went further to announce that a number of airlines in the country had made full bookings until August for tourists waiting to travel to Tanzania, adding that he had instructed his Ministers to allow the flights into the country.
Magufuli said the visitors will not be placed under mandatory quarantine upon arrival in Tanzania but will only undergo temperature tests then be cleared to tour the country.
During the church service, Magufuli vowed not to place the country on lockdown in the wake of the coronavirus, saying such a move would be disastrous to the economy.
