Tanzania Shuts Down Over 70 COVID-19 Facilitates Over “Low Numbers”

Tanzania’s Ministry of Health has confirmed that the country has shut down over 70 of its designated COVID-19 facilities due to low COVID-19 numbers.

The closed facilities will now be used to serve as hospitals treating patients with other illnesses but not COVID-19

The ministry said in a statement that Ummy Mwalimu announced the move after closing down a designated facility at Lulanzi in Kibaha district in the Coast Region.

Waziri @ummymwalimu leo ametembelea ujenzi wa Hospitali mpya ya Rufaa ya kanda ya kusini iliyopo mkoani Mtwara ambayo inagharimu Bilioni 15.8 na ujenzi wake umefikia 80%. Waziri Ummy amesema Hospitali hiyo itasaidia kupunguza shida ya huduma za kibingwa kwa wakazi wa mikoa hiyo. pic.twitter.com/4Uxdfjba41

— Wizara ya Afya Tanzania (@wizara_afyatz) July 1, 2020

Tanzania’s health Minister informed the public that the last COVID-19 patient at facilities like Lulanzi designated facility was discharged on May 26 and there is no patient that has been admitted to the facility since.

According to Tanzania’s health minister, Tanzania now has 11 designated COVID-19 facilities remaining around the country which are in the process of being closed down as cases of the viral disease continue to decline sharply.

Tanzania seems to indeed be CoVID-19 free as stated by its president Dr.John Pombe Magufuli.

Tanzania’s President’s Reaction Towards COVID-19

Not long ago, President Magufuli announced that Tanzania was free of COVID-19 in early June and that the country was to continue operating normally.

According to reports, after Magufuli’s declaration of a Free COVID-19 Tanzania, he restarted the Tanzania premiere League, opened schools in late June and Tanzania is also currently receiving flights.

Tanzania’s Magufuli, unlike other East African presidents, he did not impose any form of lockdown in the country. Magufuli assured his critics that his country is to fight the pandemic through prayers.

President Magufuli stopped the mass testing process in Tanzania after claiming that testing kits being used on humans also came out positive of COVID-19 from testing goats, pawpaws and sheep.

The last update of the disease in the country came on 29th April, when the country had 509 confirmed cases and 21 deaths.

Despite the harsh economic times in almost all East African countries, Tanzania managed to register an Economic celebration after being recognized by World Bank on July 1st as a middle income country.

By Nsunjo Erica