Covid-19 States and Societies Tanzania

The author describes Tanzania's Covid-19 response as being characterized by a shift from initial preventive measures to a state of denial led by President John Magufuli. While the government initially formed a National Task Force and applied disaster management guidelines, it later revoked restrictions, declared the country 'coronavirus-free' in June 2020, and promoted unproven home remedies. The document highlights a lack of transparency, with the government failing to meet World Health Organization requests for data and suppressing media and opposition critics who called for lockdowns and scientific consultation.

• Tanzania's initial response involved the formation of a National Task Force led by the Prime Minister’s Office to create a multi-sectoral response plan, utilizing structures established by the Disaster Management Act of 2015.
• The Tanzanian government implemented significantly less stringent measures than neighboring countries like Rwanda, Kenya, and Uganda, eventually revoking restrictions and using guidelines primarily to 'perform' compliance for international travelers and truck drivers.
• President John Magufuli declared Tanzania 'coronavirus-free' in June 2020, attributing the result to prayer and the will of God, which led to the lifting of bans on international flights, public events, and educational institutions.
• The government exhibited a lack of transparency regarding health data, ignoring World Health Organization requests for infection statistics; the last official government statistics were released on 29 April 2020, reporting 509 total cases, 128 recoveries, and 21 deaths.
• The administration suppressed dissent and media coverage, with the Tanzania Communication Regulatory Authority (TCRA) suspending outlets like Kwanza Online TV for disseminating content regarding the government's failure to publish Covid-19 figures.

APA

Mwasaga, B. G. (2020). Covid-19 States and Societies Tanzania. Public Affairs Research Institute. https://pari.org.za/covid-19-states-and-societies-tanzania/

Chicago

Mwasaga, Bariki G. Covid-19 States and Societies Tanzania. Public Affairs Research Institute, 2020. https://pari.org.za/covid-19-states-and-societies-tanzania/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Mwasaga |first1=Bariki G. |title=Covid-19 States and Societies Tanzania |publisher=Public Affairs Research Institute |date=15 September 2020 |url=https://pari.org.za/covid-19-states-and-societies-tanzania/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{mwasaga2020covid19, author = {Mwasaga, Bariki G.}, title = {{Covid-19 States and Societies Tanzania}}, institution = {Public Affairs Research Institute}, year = {2020}, month = sep, url = {https://pari.org.za/covid-19-states-and-societies-tanzania/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }