Zanzibar confirms first positive coronavirus case

The semi-autonomous island off the coast of Tanzania, Zanzibar, has confirmed its first positive case of the coronavirus.

Tanzania’s Prime Minister, Kassim Majaliwa, told journalists on Wednesday there had also been a positive case in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania’s commercial capital on the coast.

He said both patients are foreign nationals from Germany and the US.

These two new cases bring Tanzania’s total to three, after a 47-year old woman tested positive on Monday as she arrived at Kilimanjaro International Airport in Arusha, after returning from Belgium.

The government has suspended all social gatherings and closed schools across the country in an effort to further curb the spread of the virus.

Even before Zanzibar confirmed its first case, the coronavirus had hit the island hard, who relies on tourism for around 80% of its income.

Despite recording lower numbers of positive cases than the rest of the world, Africa is slowly catching up, with neighbouring Kenya and Rwanda up to seven.

South Africa has the most recorded cases on the continent, with a recent jump now bringing the total there to 116.

Photo: Xinhua