Magufuli refuses to declare lockdown in Dar es Salaam

Tanzanian President John Magufuli has ruled out the possibility of locking down the country’s commercial hub, Dar es Salaam, even as the novel coronavirus continues to spread.

“There are those who have suggested that we lockdown Dar es Salaam. This is not possible,” he said yesterday.

“Dar es Salaam is the only centre where we collect almost 80 percent of the country’s revenue. We can continue taking all measures to curb the virus but not by locking down Dar es Salaam,” he added.

Mr Magufuli was addressing a joint meeting of heads of defence and security in his home town Chato where he touched on several issues, chief among them the fight against Covid-19.

The country’s virus cases rose by 30 to reach a total of 284.