Tanzania major cities hit by Covid-19 third wave, says President

Tanzania’s major cities are worst hit by a third wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, President Samia Suluhu said, while urging citizens to take precautions to protect themselves.

Speaking at Kibaigwa, Morogoro in central Tanzania, on her way from the capital Dodoma on Wednesday, President Suluhu expressed her shock when she saw hundreds of people without masks.

“This third wave is already in the country and there is nothing to hide. We have patients in Kagera, Arusha, Mwanza, Dar es Salaam and even Dodoma,” she said.

“I have seen here that just a few people are wearing masks and doing so incorrectly with only their mouths covered leaving open their noses. Therefore, I call upon everybody to take precautionary measures against Covid-19 as directed by health experts,” she said.

The President said in Dodoma, while the number of patients is small, the cases should sound a warning to citizens to be more alert in order to prevent deaths as reported in other countries.

Ms Sululu urged wearing masks whenever in public gatherings.

The warnings come barely a week after she revealed Tanzania’s Covid-19 statistics on June 28.

President Suluhu said the country had recorded 100 new cases since the third wave hit across the world, with 70 of the patients in critical condition.

It was the first time Tanzania made the Covid-19 numbers public since May 2020.