President Samia Suluhu has shown a change of mind over the Coronavirus disease by warming up to mask-wearing for the first time in Tanzanian soil.
During a meeting with leaders from Dar es Salam, Suluhu and all the attendants were wearing face masks to protect them.
This is contrary to Tanzanian government’s earlier actions, where they did not wear face masks in public as they downplayed the severity of the virus.
Suluhu’s actions were seen just two days after she finished her State visit to Kenya to hold bilateral talks.
She might have borrowed a leaf from Kenyans and decided to introduce a culture of putting on face masks in Tanzania too.
While in Kenya, Suluhu and her team adhered to the COVID-19 protocols whereby she had her mask on, and avoided shaking hands with dignitaries.
The country has been known for its denial on the COVID-19 disease, as their late president John Pombe Magufuli described it as a common cold.
Due to his misbelief, the country stopped announcing cases of the virus in April 2020.
However, he later on changed his mind after an alarm was raised by various international countries which warned their citizens of the widespread virus in the country.
Before his ailment, Magufuli told Tanzanian citizens to wear face masks as a precaution against the infections.
He warned that they should only wear masks manufactured within countries of the East African Community as other countries could not be trusted.
During his funeral week in March, Tanzanians flocked stadiums to pay their last respect to their head of state, but only countable numbers had their masks on.
When Suluhu took over, she promised to form a special taskforce to look into the Coronavirus situation in the country.
