Coronavirus: Tanzania records biggest jump in cases in 24hrs

Tanzania has recorded its single biggest jump in the number of people diagnosed with Covid-19, the respiratory illness caused by the coronavirus, in the last 24 hours, as the health ministry announces 29 new cases.

Of those new cases, 26 patients contracted the disease in the country’s commercial capital, Dar es Salaam, while two were in the north-western town of Mwanza, and one in Kilimanjaro, in the north.

Zanzibar, the semi-autonomous island region off Tanzania’s coast, also confirmed an additional six new positive cases on Wednesday; the single biggest rise there since the outbreak began.

Across Tanzania, the cumulative figure now stands at 88.

The government’s approach to tackling the virus seriously diverges from those of its neighbours, who have sought to implement strict nationwide lockdowns.

Movement has not been hampered in an effort to enforce social distancing guidelines, and the country’s president, Peter Mutharika, has actively encouraged people to continue to go to church.

However, limits have been imposed on social gatherings and larger events.

Parliament’s Speaker, Job Nduhai, previously spoke of his concern that a European or Asian-style lockdown would cause people significant harm as the government cannot provide a similar level of safety net to support the public.

Photo: Getty Images