Archbishop Jude Thaddeus Ruwa’ichi Archbishop Jude Thaddeus Ruwa’ichi of Dar es Salaam told Catholic News Service it was time for the country to accept that Covid-19 exists, noting that denying the truth has led to loss of lives and a lot of people getting sick.
“Covid-19 is still with us and we should stop being careless,” he said. “Let us protect ourselves and stop spreading the virus. People should seriously start wearing face masks and washing hands with soap and water.”
Since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic a year ago, Tanzania’s authority has repeatedly downplayed the virus and urged citizens to ignore preventative measures necessary to keep the virus from spreading.
Instead, on several occasions, President John Magufuli, a Catholic, has urged Tanzanians to focus on prayers, referring to the virus as demonic amid warnings that the nation is seeing a deadly resurgence in infections. “May I ask religious leaders, just as you have been doing, keep insisting in prayers,” Mr Magufuli told mourners in late February at a funeral for John Kijazi, chief secretary. “We will win. We won last year. We will win this year and years to come.” The country of nearly 60 million people has not published data on the number of coronavirus cases since April.