Samia: Evaluate Covid-19 status, suggest measures

Dar es Salaam. President Samia Suluhu Hassan yesterday directed the ministry of Health to evaluate the Covid-19 status in the country and come up with recommendations.

The President said the assessment’s recommendations will inform the public whether the public should continue taking precautionary measures or they should continue with normal life.

“When I got here, I found that it was only me and my team who had taken preventive measures. Nobody among the crowd was found to have worn a mask.

“This means people are now tired of wearing masks. When I decided to take my mask off all the people in my convoy did the same. However, we are not supposed to forget that the disease is still there,” she said.

President Hassan made the statement in Makunduchi, South Unguja in Zanzibar during the climax of the annual Kizimkazi festival that started on August 28.

The festival aims at bringing citizens together, protecting and maintaining traditions and customs as well as encouraging the execution of development activities. Speaking during the event, the country’s leader admitted that Tanzanians have learned how to live with the disease, observing however that the disease was still existing.

“The ministry should, therefore, make the disease assessment and come up with suggestions over what should be the country’s next move of action,” she said.

In another development, the Head of State thanked Tanzanians for their cooperation during the successful census program, asking citizens to continue extending cooperation on the ongoing housing census.

“Those who missed the population census should follow outlined procedures in order to be included,” she said.

Regarding the festival, the President said after she witnessed growth, she has directed the organizing committee to extend it to others in order to enable them to benefit.

Earlier, Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa said the festival creates many economic opportunities, noting that it had a lot of meaning to citizens in the area when it is organized annually.

CRDB Bank Plc managing director Abdulmajid Nsekela said the bank is proud of being part of the festival, “We have done a number of things in the Isles particularly in Kizimkazi including organising Ngalawa races which were attractive.

Read: How ‘CRDB Bank Ngalawa race’ gathers traction of tourists in Zanzibar

“The races are part of tourist attractions. Plans are afoot to ensure there is a special day for annual sports celebrations. Today, we are going to hand over a Sh23.3 million cheque to the competition winners as part of motivation,” he said.

The festival was founded by President Hassan in 2016 shortly after becoming the country’s first female vice president.