Coronavirus: prayer, not lockdown, is these African leaders’ answer to the Covid-19 pandemic
- Some countries reject the closures and distancing adopted across the world, permitting religious gatherings and proceeding with elections
- It is a time to ‘build our faith, not depend on face masks’, one president says, citing the need to protect the economy
The latter group includes Tanzania and Burundi, where attending religious and social events is still allowed. Both countries have said they will press ahead with their presidential elections this year, Burundi in May and Tanzania in October, despite the threat posed by Covid-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus.
Although Tanzania has closed schools, banned sporting activities and encouraged its citizens to observe hand hygiene to curb the disease’s spread, it has allowed people to attend churches and mosques and to continue with most of their normal routine, to keep the economy going.
Tanzanian President John Magufuli said he would not succumb to “undue pressure” to lock down the country’s commercial capital, Dar es Salaam, or any other city.