Covid-19 cases declining, according to Tanzania’s health minister

Ummy Mwalimu, Tanzania’s health minister, has spoken of a rapid decline in the number of positive cases of Covid-19 in the East African country.

God, she told a gathering on Monday that included Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa, has spared Tanzania from the worst of the pandemic.

According to Mwalimu, just four positive cases of the virus remain in the commercial capital, Dar es Salaam, previously recognised as the epicentre of the outbreak by officials.

The government has been an outlier in its approach to tackling the coronavirus, shunning a nationwide lockdown for the sake of the economy, and instead relying on prayer.

It stopped releasing official data in April following an accusation from the president that health officials were inflating the figures.

Last month the US embassy warned its nationals of an unreported crisis in Dar es Salaam, saying in a statement that hospitals were “overwhelmed” there, and that the chance of contracting the virus was “extremely high”, though they failed to provide any supporting evidence.

Mwalimu said they were no new cases in the Tanga or Mwanza regions, but cautioned that the infection remained active, urging people to continue to observe social distancing measures.

Older students started back at school this week after the government announced colleges and final year students would return.

[Photo: AFP]