Dar es Salaam — The
government yesterday asked the public to be vigilant and refuted widely
circulating reports on social media which claimed that there were
suspected cases of..
. foreigners infected with the novel coronavirus
(COVID-19) in the country, saying the authorities have mounted
surveillance against a possible outbreak of the disease.
This comes at a
time when the World Health Organization (WHO) has upgraded the global
risk from coronavirus to its highest level, with globally confirmed
cases being 83 652. Five new countries in the WHO region: Belarus,
Lithuania, Netherlands, New Zealand, and
Nigeria have reported cases of COVID-19 until yesterday,
Tanzania, which was
put on the list of countries at risk of importing the disease, hasn't
registered any case, said the Minister of Health, Community Development,
Gender, Elderly and Children Ms Ummy Mwalimu. African countries,
Algeria, Nigeria and Egypt have confirmed cases but the patients had
originated in other countries.
Ms Mwalimu said at a
press conference in Dar es Salaam yesterday that it was high time
Tanzanians took precautions against the virus and report any suspected
case to the relevant authorities.
"I urge the public
to ensure they wash their face and hands after touching objects that are
contaminated, avoid unnecessary physical contacts such as shaking hands
or , hugging," said Ms Mwalimu.
Due to travel links
with China, Tanzania faces a risk of transmission of the COVID-19,
whose epicentre is the Chinese city, Wuhan. The disease has so far
affected 51 countries around the world and killed more than 2,858, says
WHO.
The health minister
allayed fears over 504 Tanzanians studying in China, saying the
government through Tanzanian Embassy to China was closely monitoring the
situation to ensure they remained safe.
Further, the
minister said "The government has strengthened the screening of
travellers at the ports and border. Over 11, 048 travellers from
affected countries have been screened," said the Ms Ummy.
"We have also
purchased personal preventive equipment for coronavirus which have been
distributed to all regional and district health facilities across the
country," she added.
She said the
National Institute for Medical Research (NIMR) is the main centre for
examining suspects of coronavirus and a response team has been formed in
preparedness for any possible emergency.
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