USA WARNS ITS CITIZENS IN TANZANIA OVER HIGH RISK OF CONTRACTING COVID-19

Dar es Salaam, TANZANIA

The United States of America’s Embassy in Tanzania has today issued a health alert to its citizens and the Embassy personnel warning of rapid growth of coronavirus in the country and specifically in the commercial city of Dar es salaam.

        Chargé d’Affaires, Inmi Patterson (L) meets President John Magufuli

According to the notification made available to the Embassy’s website https://tz.usembassy.gov/ under the heading ‘Health Alert: U.S. Embassy Dar es Salaam’, the Embassy is warning that the risk of contracting COVI-19 in the city is extremely high.

“The risk of contracting COVID-19 in Dar es Salaam is extremely high. Despite limited official reports, all evidence points to exponential growth of the epidemic in the city and other locations in Tanzania.” The statement read.

Adding that the Embassy has strongly recommended that U.S. government personnel and their families remain at home except for essential activities and substantially limit into private homes the entry of anyone but regular residents.

The statement says that the Tanzanian government has not released any data on COVID-19 in the country since April 29, so there are no current data on the number of people diagnosed with COVID-19 in Tanzania.

It elaborates further that the Department of State has issued a Global Level 4 Health Advisory for COVID-19 advising that for emergency and other American Citizen Services, including emergency passports they should visit the website for additional information.

The Embassy says that many hospitals in Dar es Salaam have been overwhelmed in recent weeks and that limited hospital capacity throughout Tanzania could result in life-threatening delays for medical care, including for those with COVID-19.

The statement warns U.S. citizens who remain in Tanzania that they should be prepared to remain abroad for an indefinite period. 

“The U.S. government does not anticipate arranging additional repatriation flights in Tanzania at this time. However, in the event that opportunity becomes available, we are asking you to let us know if you are interested in being contacted.”

The Government of Tanzania suspended all international scheduled passenger planes to Tanzania effective April 11 and international commercial flight options no longer exist in the country.

Tanzania's President John Magufuli, who holds a doctorate in chemistry, is denying a spike in the country's coronavirus cases, claiming that positive COVID-19 tests are faulty saying they returned positive results on samples taken from a goat and a pawpaw.

The President, whose government has already drawn criticism for being secretive about the coronavirus outbreak and has previously asked Tanzanians to pray the coronavirus away, said he had instructed Tanzanian security forces to check the quality of the kits.

According to government records of April 29 this year, 509 people in Tanzania have so far contracted the virus, 183 recovered and 21 have died. But the official numbers, which are provided in increasingly rare updates, are being regarded with great suspicion.

Several opposition leaders and activists in recent weeks have accused the government of failing to inform the public on the extent of the disease's outbreak and covering up the true number of fatalities.

CHADEMA, the main opposition party called for inclusive intervention to maintain coronavirus urging the government to give true data on the new cases, deaths and enforce scientific measures to fight COVID-19; the proposal that government has downplayed.

Three Members of Parliament died between April 20 and 1st May this year after short and undisclosed illness causing anxiety among members. 

The opposition party thereafter instructed its members to self-quarantine and refrain from going close to parliamentary buildings in Dodoma and Dar es Salaam over similar concerns. - Africa