President Samia issues directive on curbing Covid-19 spread

President Samia Suluhu Hassan greets Morogoro residents in the Msamvu area after arriving in the region yesterday for a two-day official tour of duty. PHOTO | STATE HOUSE

Summary

• The Covid-19 pandemic, which has so far killed over four million people worldwide, is in its third wave of rampage, which has also been reported in Tanzania.

By Louis Kalumbia

More by this Author

Dar es Salaam. President Samia Suluhu Hassan yesterday issued eight directives to Tanzanians and Morogoro regional authorities to heighten preventive measures against Covid-19, saying patients have been confirmed in different regions.
This comes a few days after she revealed that there were over 100 patients in hospitals during her recent speech.
Other directives are reserving enough hectares of land for agricultural investment, increasing agricultural production in order to revive closed factories, surveying land for industrial parks and completing construction of the Morogoro District Hospital.
The President also directed municipalities and councils authorities to cooperate with the Tanzania Rural and  Urban Roads Agency (Tarura) in improving rural roads, protection of strategic projects and maintaining the country’s peace and security.
He issued the directives separately at Kibaigwa in  Dodoma Region and Morogoro Region as she was travelling to the latter  from the country’s administrative capital to attend a meeting of Christian women scheduled for today.
Speaking at  Kibaigwa, President Hassan expressed her shock as she was addressing maskless citizens, saying there were no reasons to hide that patients of the third wave of Covid-19 have been confirmed in Dar es Salaam, Arusha, Mwanza and many other regions.
“I call upon everybody to take precautionary measures as directed by health experts,” she said during a live televised event.
She said in Dodoma, though the number of patients is small, reported cases should awaken citizens to be alert in order to prevent deaths..
Addressing Morogoro residents, she instructed regional leaders to distribute to citizens part of 45,000 hectares of land whose ownership in Kilosa District was revoked, but leaving part of it for agricultural investment.
“There are many investors registering for large scale investments therefore many hectares are required. But, citizens allocated with land could negotiate with investors to be given the land under agreed terms,” she said.
She instructed citizens to increase production of cooking oil manufacturing seeds in order to revive closed factories like Moproco and create jobs for  the youth and women.
“Enough land should be surveyed and actual information should be communicated to citizens in order to build industrial parks and attract more investors who will create enough jobs for our people,” she said.
The Head of State said a District Hospital whose construction has reached 75 percent should be completed for equipment and health experts to be sent for the  citizens to be attended as intended.
She said the government has amended laws and regulations to allow collaboration of municipalities, councils and Tarura, directing the corporation to improve the Bigwa-Kisaki Road and other rural roads.
“SGR and JNHPP should be protected for the country’s future benefits. Peace and security should be maintained to pave the way for the government to focus on the country’s development,” she said.