WHO: Delay in Tanzania response caused spike in cases

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has criticised the Tanzanian government’s delayed response to the Covid-19 pandemic, saying their actions led to a spike in the number of cases.

The WHO’s Regional Director for Africa, Matshidiso Moeti, says they have serious concerns over the rise of reported cases in the country over the last few days.

“Certainly in Tanzania we have observed that physical distancing, including the prohibition of mass gatherings, took some time to happen and we believe that these might have been probable factors that led to a rapid increase in cases there”, Dr Moeti said.

President John Magufuli has been widely criticised for encouraging people to attend church, rather than impose strict social distancing measures to curb the spread of the virus.

Having reported its first case on 16 May, 284 people had since tested positive for the virus by 23 May.

The government has recently extended a closure of all schools and universities, but the president has categorically ruled out a lockdown of the commercial capital, Dar es Salaam, citing potential damage to the economy.

[Photo: AFP]