Tanzania: President says virus will not stop elections

The general election will still go ahead in October as planned, despite the threat from the coronavirus.

That’s according to Tanzania’s President, John Magufuli, who is widely expected to run for a second term in office.

Unlike several of Tanzania’s neighbours, who have been quick to implement fast lockdowns to combat any further spread of the virus, Tanzania’s president does not seem to be in such a rush.

Having previously said people should continue going to church because “Coronavirus is the devil, it can not live in the body of Christ, it will burn instantly”, Magufuli is now urging people to continue going to work.

He’s said there is no reason for people to stop going to work: “Work has to go on and that’s why even parliament is moving on with its schedule”, he told reporters.

Following the country’s first recorded case of the coronavirus, all schools, colleges and universities have been shut for an initial 30-day period.

Officially, there are now 13 positive cases of the virus in Tanzania, though the true number is likely to be higher.

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