This archive report was first published on 9 May 2021.
On Friday, Tanzania's President Samia Suluhu Hassan, flanked by senior government and security officials, all wearing face masks, addressed prominent community elders in Dar es Salaam, the commercial capital.
She stressed the importance of face masks in fighting COVID-19, a policy that was previously opposed by her late predecessor, John Magufuli.
Magufuli had urged Tanzanians to shun masks and denounced vaccines as a Western conspiracy, a stance that frustrated the World Health Organization.
Since taking office in March, Hassan has formed a committee to research whether Tanzania should follow the course taken by the rest of the world against the pandemic.
On Friday, Hassan wore a face mask and told the community elders, 'We have come with face masks because elders are in a group of people who are at higher risk of contracting the prevailing disease. We have found it is important to protect you.'
Health Minister Dorothy Gwajima, who was present at the meeting, had previously urged Tanzanians to embrace steam inhalations, traditional medicines, and even vegetable smoothies to protect themselves against COVID-19.
