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At the African headquarters of the World Health Organization (WHO) in Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo, staff members were impressed with the response of most African countries to the pandemic. Although resources are scarce, most leaders have made difficult and proactive decisions to contain the spread of Covid-19, and are listening carefully to scientists and public health experts.
Most, but not all.
There is a short list of countries that concern WHO. Experts say this list includes Burundi, Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Eritrea. Madagascar, South Sudan, Somalia and Zimbabwe are also countries of concern. The list is headed by Tanzania.
“We are observing that some countries adopt a response approach that is not exactly what we are recommending. So certainly in Tanzania we have observed that physical distancing, including a ban on mass gatherings, took some time, ”said Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, WHO chief of Africa, at his weekly press conference on Thursday. “We believe that these were probably factors in expanding the number of cases. We are seeing a rapid increase in cases there. “
The Tanzanian health ministry did not respond to a request for comment.
Moeti was being a diplomat. Tanzania only closed its airspace to international commercial flights on April 14, almost three weeks after Kenya had done so. President John Magufuli has refused to place major cities like Dar es Salaam, a population of more than six million, in any kind of closure, saying the economic damage would be too great. “So you want me to order vehicles to stop transporting rice and potatoes to the city? Do you want me to order all the women who sell cloth materials to close the stores and go home? I’m not going to lock up Dar es Salaam, ever, “he said at a press conference on Wednesday.
At the same time, he warned that imported face masks may be “mixed with coronaviruses” and said that spraying does nothing to kill the virus. There is no evidence for any of these claims.
Missing in action
But Magufuli himself has been notable for his absence from both Dar es Salaam and the capital city, Dodoma. Last week’s press conference was delivered from his hometown of Chato, where he has been staying for the past few weeks. He has only been seen in a public church he attends, where he told citizens that the virus could be defeated only by prayer and urged the faithful of all faiths to continue attending religious institutions.
“We are not closing places of worship. That’s where there is a true cure. Corona is the devil and cannot survive in the body of Jesus, ”he said last month. This puts Magufuli, a Catholic, at odds with Pope Francis, who celebrated Easter Mass in a deserted St. Peter’s Basilica and has urged the faithful to stay home.
Confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Tanzania have increased. In the week of April 14-21, the number of cases quadrupled to 284 cases, including 10 deaths.
“It is a disaster that is waiting to happen. It is heartbreaking for me,” said Fatma Karume, an attorney and outspoken critic of Magufuli’s response to the pandemic. She wants the President to take decisive action to contain the virus and measures to mitigate the inevitable negative effect on the economy.
In the absence of this leadership, many Tanzanians are taking on the pandemic themselves.
“You know, I am very proud of the people in Dar es Salaam,” Karuma said. “They are covering themselves, they are taking care of themselves. At each store, they make sure there is water and disinfectant before entering. The general public has done a lot to try to mitigate it. But unfortunately the government has not stepped forward, and there is fear, because there is obviously mistrust in the government’s numbers. “
Amnesty International has criticized the government for silencing and censuring journalists for reporting on the disease.
Not only the public is challenging the President’s inaction, but also members of his government. Dar es Salaam Regional Commissioner Paul Makonda, after minimizing the threat, ordered his constituents to wear face masks and observe the principles of physical distance. Other top officials are trying to avoid the president.
“But everyone is afraid to take broader measures. It is very difficult when the leader needs to approve all the decisions, and he is basically missing in action,” said a civil society activist, who asked not to be identified. “This is a complete case study of how authoritarianism has paralyzed an entire system from doing nothing.”
Rashid Abdi, an independent political analyst, said: “Tanzania’s problem comes from the top, when you have a government that is not sold entirely in science. You also have a very evangelical president, who wants to be seen as the protector of faith “.
“Follow the data”
Magufuli’s passive approach, albeit in prayer, is reflected in neighboring Burundi. “Burundi is an exception because it is a country that has put God first,” said a spokesman for President Pierre Nkrunuziza. Although international arrivals are quarantined, there is little or no evidence, and reliable information on the spread of the virus is scarce. Only 11 cases have been officially registered. Across the border, in Rwanda of similar size, there are 154 cases.
Burundi, like Tanzania, plans to hold presidential elections in 2020, although, unlike Magufuli, Nkurunziza is not eligible to participate.
Cameroon also appears to be reading the same playbook. President Paul Biya has not addressed the nation since the first Covid-19 case in the country was confirmed on March 6. Limited measures, such as wearing face masks, have been implemented, but no stimulus has been announced. Health Minister Manaouda Malachie has said he will no longer give daily updates, but will focus only on the positive developments that are made, even when confirmed cases rose to 1,430. Aid workers are blocked in parts of the country. where the government is fighting civil war against Anglophone separatists.
The problems in Eritrea and the DRC are a little different. In Eritrea, President Isaias Afwerki compared the fight against the pandemic to a “sudden war” and placed the country under lock and key, but rejected calls to free thousands of political prisoners detained in overcrowded prisons, a perfect breeding ground for the virus. . So far 39 cases have been confirmed.
In the DRC, with 394 cases, fears center on the government’s ability to enforce any type of emergency measure. Recent history suggests that there is little trust in the state when it comes to disease. This is partly why it has been so difficult to eradicate the latest Ebola outbreak in the northeast of the country.
Speaking about countries that are not following WHO’s advice, Moeti said: “What I can say is that we continue to urge these governments to follow the data, build on the evidence in the measures they are taking, and work with partners who being willing to support impact mitigation measures that we recognize can be very important. “
This feature first appeared in The continent, the new pan-African weekly designed to be read and shared on WhatsApp. Get your free copy here.
