Zitto
Former MP Kigoma Urban
- Mar 2, 2007
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#TheNotorious9
The notorious nine: These world leaders responded to the coronavirus with denial, duplicity and ineptitude - Brazil, Mexico, Belarus, Turkmenistan, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Cambodia, North Korea
Tanzania
While most countries were going into lockdown and banning large gatherings, Tanzanian President John Magufuli was instead telling his people to keep going to their churches and mosques. “Corona is the devil and it cannot survive in the body of Jesus,” he told a church service in late March. “It will burn.”
Less than three weeks later, his theological premise is in doubt. Today there are 254 confirmed cases of the coronavirus in Tanzania, with 10 deaths, and the number is increasing dramatically.
Undeterred, the President doubled down. He announced a plan for three days of prayer in mid-April to ask God to save the country. Tanzania today remains the only country where the government has recommended church attendance as a way of combatting the virus.
While he did take some action based on medical science, including the suspension of classes and sports events, Mr. Magufuli has refused to introduce a broader lockdown or curfew – even though most of his East African neighbours have done so.
With the government playing down the threat, life has continued as normal. Bars and clubs are reportedly still crowded. Senior government officials have mocked anyone practising physical distancing or self-isolating at home. “Get out and work,” one official told Tanzanians.
The notorious nine: These world leaders responded to the coronavirus with denial, duplicity and ineptitude
The notorious nine: These world leaders responded to the coronavirus with denial, duplicity and ineptitude - Brazil, Mexico, Belarus, Turkmenistan, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Cambodia, North Korea
Tanzania
While most countries were going into lockdown and banning large gatherings, Tanzanian President John Magufuli was instead telling his people to keep going to their churches and mosques. “Corona is the devil and it cannot survive in the body of Jesus,” he told a church service in late March. “It will burn.”
Less than three weeks later, his theological premise is in doubt. Today there are 254 confirmed cases of the coronavirus in Tanzania, with 10 deaths, and the number is increasing dramatically.
Undeterred, the President doubled down. He announced a plan for three days of prayer in mid-April to ask God to save the country. Tanzania today remains the only country where the government has recommended church attendance as a way of combatting the virus.
While he did take some action based on medical science, including the suspension of classes and sports events, Mr. Magufuli has refused to introduce a broader lockdown or curfew – even though most of his East African neighbours have done so.
With the government playing down the threat, life has continued as normal. Bars and clubs are reportedly still crowded. Senior government officials have mocked anyone practising physical distancing or self-isolating at home. “Get out and work,” one official told Tanzanians.
The notorious nine: These world leaders responded to the coronavirus with denial, duplicity and ineptitude