This archive report was first published on 9 May 2020.
On May 9, 2020, Tanzanian singer Diamond Platnumz took to social media to defend President John Magufuli's approach to combating the spread of Covid-19 in Tanzania.
Magufuli's methods have been met with widespread criticism, but Diamond Platnumz believes the president was right not to impose a total lockdown on the country.
According to Diamond Platnumz, a total lockdown would not guarantee the complete elimination of the virus, but would instead cause significant economic harm to the country.
Instead, Diamond Platnumz suggests that countries should develop their own unique solutions to the pandemic, rather than simply copying the approaches of other nations.
“I now understand why our President John Pombe Magufuli is not taking drastic measures to combat the coronavirus. We should not blindly follow what others are doing, but rather find solutions that suit our country's reality,” Diamond Platnumz posted on Instagram.
Magufuli has been adamant that he will not impose a lockdown on Tanzania, and has even gone so far as to claim that fumigation is an effective way to combat the virus, despite the fact that it only kills mosquitoes and cockroaches.
Tanzania has reported 509 confirmed cases of Covid-19.
