PHOTO:

Tanzania president John Pombe Magufuli. pic by courtesy

By:

NANCY AGUTU

Posted:

Feb,27-2021 15:07:19

Do not travel to Tanzania due to Covid-19, the United States has warned it's citizens.

In a travel advisory, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a Level 4 Travel Health Notice for Tanzania due to Covid-19.

US says that for the duration of the pandemic, Tanzania has not implemented stay at home orders, nor limited transportation options or business operations.

The Tanzanian government has not released aggregate numbers on Covid-19 cases or deaths since April 2020.

The use of masks, social distancing, and other prevention strategies are largely absent throughout Tanzania.

Despite the opening up of sectors of business and society throughout Tanzania, the risk of contracting Covid-19 through community transmission remains elevated.

The Embassy has recommended that US Government personnel and their families exercise continued caution in day-to-day activities (e.g., limiting entry of individuals into your home) and take steps to limit potential exposure while outside the home.

The US also wants the citizens to re reconsider travel to Mtwara Region in southern Tanzania due to the treat of terrorism.

Terrorist groups could attack in Tanzania with little or no warning, targeting embassies, police stations, mosques, and other places frequented by Westerners.

The World Health Organization urged Tanzania to start reporting coronavirus cases and share its data.

Tanzania is one of the few countries in the world to not publish data on Covid-19 cases.

It last did so in May, when about 500 cases and 20 deaths were recorded. The following month, President John Magufuli declared Tanzania "coronavirus-free".

But concern is growing about the possibility of a hidden epidemic.

The WHO"s plea comes after a spate of deaths of government officials.

The vice-president of Tanzania's semi-autonomous island of Zanzibar, Seif Sharif Hamad, died last Wednesday after his party said he had contracted Covid-19.

He was the most prominent politician in Tanzania to have openly declared that he had the virus.

The head of the civil service, John Kijazi, also died on Wednesday but no reason was given for his death.

Source:

The Star