Africa - The president of Tanzania, 'defeated the virus thanks to God'

The Covid-19 pandemic in Tanzania ended "thank God": word of John Magufuli, president of the country repeatedly challenged for the management of the health emergency, according to his leader by now passed. The very religious president thanked "the Tanzanians of all faiths. We prayed and fasted for God to save us from the pandemic that plagued our country and the world. But God replied," Magufuli said in a church in the capital Dodoma between applause and shouts of jubilation. The President of Tanzania also praised the priest and the faithful for not wearing gloves and masks with the aim of protecting themselves from the infection. This declaration goes hand in hand with the encouragement to attend places of worship, never closed, and to pray together to "defeat" the virus, defined as "satanic" and which therefore cannot develop within the walls dedicated to God. the World Health Organization (WHO), which expressed concern about the government's strategy, far from adopting the restrictive measures imposed by other countries in the region and beyond. Another Tanzanian peculiarity was the suspension of updates on the coronavirus from April 29, when the country recorded 509 cases with 21 deaths. Then there was the controversy with the US embassy, ​​which had declared the hospitals of the city of Dar es Salaam "overwhelmed", adding that the chances of contracting the virus were "extremely high", but not providing evidence to support them. statements. In response, Magufuli said last week that only four patients are being treated in Dar es Salaam. Elisha Osati, head of the Tanzania Medical Association, also confirmed to the BBC that hospitals work as always and that most of those with Covid-19 have mild symptoms of the disease. Among the protests of the opposition for the lack of transparency on the data and the perplexities of the WHO, which has also warned against self-styled drugs such as the herbal tonic imported from Madagascar, in short, Tanzania's triumphal march against the virus continues that is not scary. Indeed, the proclamation of victory has now been reached with the most recent declarations by its president; at least in words.