President Samia Suluhu has shown a more hands-on approach to the fight against COVID-19
Tanzania needs to publish data on the spread of Covid-19 before getting approval for a $574 million emergency loan from the International Monetary Fund, the Washington-based lender said.
Reporting numbers on coronavirus infections and deaths would be an about turn for the government that hasn’t done so since April 2020 when then-President John Magufuli’s administration played down the threat from the disease.
Since his death in March, new leader Samia Hassan has signaled a shift in policy by appointing an advisory team on how to tackle the pandemic and started a process to procure vaccines. The government hasn’t yet given numbers on the disease, though.
The World Health Organization and Africa Centers for Disease Prevention and Control urged the government on a number of ocassions to begin providing data on the virus.
New president Samia Suluhu has marked a u-turn from how her predecessor handled the COVID-19 situation among others introducing the wearing of masks and constituting a committee to review the virus fight, they have since submitted their report.
Testing has also resumed for travellers either entering or leaving the East African nation.