DAR ES SALAAM — Tanzania’s Ministry of Health has announced 29 new COVID-19 cases, today Wednesday April 15.
This has raised the number of cases confirmed in the country to 88. 4 deaths have also been confirmed.
Health minister Ummy Mwalimu said in a statement on Wednesday that the 29 were confirmed positive during tests that were conducted on Tuesday, April 14 and Wednesday, April 15, 2020.
“All the patients are Tanzanian nationals whereby 26 are in Dar es Salaam, two are in Mwanza while one is in Kilimanjaro,” said Ms. Mwalimu noting that while the patients were under treatment, the task of looking for those that they had come into contact with has already started.
Earlier in the day, Ms Mwalimu’s counterpart for the Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar, Mr Hamad Rashid Mohammed, announced six new Covid-19 cases in the Isles, saying one of them (of the six) had died.
According to Ms Mwalimu, the total number of people who have died from Covid-19 in the country stands at four while 11 have recovered from the viral disease.
The minister further urged Tanzanians to observe the directives by the health ministry such as social distancing and to avoid unnecessary congregation.
On Easter Sunday, Tanzania Civil Aviation Authority announced a suspension of all international passenger flights due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Cargo flights are exempt from the suspension, but crew members will be quarantined at Tanzania government facilities during their stay, the TCAA said.
President John Magufuli in a televised announced that the country will not be closing its borders due to humanitarian concerns, as the closure would impact land-locked countries in the region dependent on its ports.
Elsewhere in East Africa Uganda on Tuesday reported its 55 case, Rwanda’s infections stand at 137, whereas Kenya has 225 confirmed cases of coronavirus.
