Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan on Friday stressed the importance of wearing face masks in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, reported Reuters.
Hassan came to power in March after the death of President John Magufuli, who had urged Tanzanians to skip masks, and denounced vaccines as a Western conspiracy. Magufuli died in March after weeks of speculation that he was ill with COVID-19.
Notably, the Magufuli led government even stopped reporting coronavirus data since April last year, claiming that the country was free from coronavirus.
Unlike her predecessor, Hassan formed a COVID-19 committee last month to research whether Tanzania should follow the course that the rest of the world has taken against the pandemic. The committee has also been tasked with giving suggestions to the president on measures that should be taken to protect the country against the coronavirus pandemic.
On Friday, Hassan was seen addressing prominent community elders in the commercial capital, Dar es Salaam, while wearing a face mask. She was flanked by senior government and security officials, also all in masks.
“We have come with face masks because elders are in a group of people who are at higher risk of contracting the prevailing disease,” the Tanzanian president said. “We have found it is important to protect you.”
Health Minister Dorothy Gwajima was also present at the event. Interestingly, Gwajima was among the ones, who, while Magufuli was president, urged Tanzanians to go for steam inhalations, and traditional medicines to protect themselves against COVID-19.
Earlier this week, the Tanzanian government announced a slew of new anti-COVID-19 measures to prevent the importation of new coronavirus variants in the country.
The measures require all travelers, whether foreigners or returning residents, to present a negative COVID-19 test certificate upon arrival in the country, and truck driver and crew members to undergo screening at points of entry.
