President Magufuli ready to reopen schools and sports leagues
- The East African President announced his plans of reopening the institutions
- Reiterated his stand on the fight against Covid-19 will not be via lockdown
- Mental Health and Psychosocial considerations during the COVID-19 Pandemic
Tanzania President John Magufuli has announced that his government is planning to reopen schools and sporting leagues across the nation.
The President closed the schools back in March as a necessary measure to contain the coronavirus pandemic. While doing so, he failed to close down churches in the country in what opposition leaders faulted the president.
President Magufuli has repeatedly called the virus ‘satanic’ and therefore cannot thrive in churches.
Speaking at a church service at Lutheran Church, the President reiterated his stance that churches should not be closed:
Life has to go on. Hopelessness is a worse pandemic than coronavirus… I will be instructing that schools be reopened… I will be asking the sporting leagues be reopened as this is one of our sources of entertainment. I have already instructed the minister of Tourism to open our airspaces and begin allowing tourists into the country. Once they are tested and their temperatures are checked, let them be allowed to go and see our animals.
President Magufuli’s response to the coronavirus pandemic has been faulted by both opposition leaders in the world as well as observers from the World Health Organization.
Meanwhile, Tanzania has closed its borders for all trucks transporting goods into the country, hours after Kenya closed its border.
On Saturday, President Uhuru Kenyatta closed Kenya’s border with Somalia and Tanzania, with an exception for cargo trucks.
Tanzania Minister for Health Ummy Mwalimu said that only goods belonging to Tanzanians will be allowed in, though they will be loaded into another truck on the Tanzanian side at the border.
Minister Ummy held that the move by the government of Tanzania would ensure business continued for the two nations, despite indicators showing otherwise.
