Dar es Salaam (AFP)

The director general of the World Health Organization (WHO) on Sunday called on Tanzania to take "robust" measures to protect its population from Covid-19 while President John Magufuli bent his speech on the epidemic.

Since the start of the pandemic, President Magufuli has continued to minimize the dangerousness of the coronavirus.

The country last released official figures on coronavirus infections in April 2020 (officially 509 cases).

In June, the head of state even claimed that prayers had saved his country and declared him "released from the Covid".

But in recent weeks, Tanzania has been hit by a wave of deaths officially attributed to pneumonia.

On Wednesday, two personalities were swept away: the first vice-president of the semi-autonomous archipelago of Zanzibar Seif Sharif Hamad, whose party confirmed that he had contracted Covid-19, and the head of the function public John Kijazi.

“Many Tanzanians traveling to neighboring countries and beyond have tested positive for Covid-19. This shows the need for Tanzania to take robust measures to protect both its own population and the populations of these countries and 'elsewhere,' Ethiopian WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus called in a statement.

Mr. Tedros points out that, already in January, he invited the Tanzanian authorities to take public health measures against the Covid-19, to prepare for the vaccination and to share data on the pandemic.

“Since then, I have spoken to several officials in Tanzania but the WHO is still awaiting information regarding the measures taken by Tanzania to respond to the pandemic,” he lamented.

"The situation remains very worrying. I renew my appeal to Tanzania to start reporting Covid-19 cases and to share the figures. I also call on Tanzania to implement public health measures that help to break the chains of transmission and to prepare for vaccination, ”Tedros added.

- "God first" -

The WHO's appeal reinforces that made from Tanzania by certain personalities and pressure groups, sometimes at the risk of being harassed by the authorities.

On Saturday, the Tanzania Law Society (TLS) became the first professional body to call on the government to openly acknowledge the presence of the virus and take appropriate action.

"The Covid-19 pandemic is a reality in the country and the death toll has increased in recent months. Families and various institutions are losing a lot of employees, members, relatives, friends and neighbors," he said. order, stressing that some of its members have already succumbed to Covid-19.

In recent days, President Magufuli has gradually changed his speech on Covid-19.

Thursday, during the funeral of the head of the civil service, Mr. Magufuli, re-elected in October for a second five-year term, spoke of the virus without ever naming it.

"When this respiratory disease first appeared last year, we won because we put God first and took other action. I'm sure we will win again if we do the same again," he said. declared.

"We will not do any containment," he warned, however.

"Let's continue to put God first and take precautions."

On Sunday, the president revealed that some of his relatives had been infected and half-heartedly encouraged the wearing of the mask.

"Some of my close collaborators and members of my family fell ill but they recovered," he said during a religious service at a Catholic church in Dar es Salaam.

"The government has not banned the wearing of masks. Only choose the masks that you wear carefully. Imported masks can bring us the Covid. Use masks made by the Ministry of Health or that you make yourself" , he said.

In January, President Magufuli had already qualified the vaccines against the Covid as "dangerous".

On Sunday, the health ministry issued a statement calling on the population to "continue to believe in God".

And to respect barrier gestures, wearing a mask included.

© 2021 AFP