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Americans Warned Against Travelling To Tanzania Due To COVID-19
Tourism in Tanzania has been dealt a huge blow following a travel advisory issued by the Centres for Disease Control (CDC) on travel to Tanzania for Americans.
On Wednesday, CDC warned US travellers that they risk contracting COVID-19 once they set foot in Tanzania and add to the global statistics of COVID-19 victims.
“Travellers should avoid all travel to Tanzania. Travel may increase your chance of getting and spreading Covid-19,” the CDC said in a statement on its website adding that should it be a must, then, they must adhere to strict COVID-19 protocols.
“During travel, wear a mask, stay at least six feet from people who are not travelling with you, wash your hands often or use hand sanitizer, and watch your health for signs of illness,” CDC stated.
US-bound passengers from Tanzania will be required to take a PCR-based COVID-19 test three days before arrival and proof of a negative test produced upon request.
Also read: Best Hotels In Tanzania That You Should Visit
The CDC advisory comes against the backdrop of Tanzania being declared “safest country in Eastern Africa”. This is void of the fact that no data has been released showing the number of new infections, recoveries or deaths for the past months.
President John Pombe Magufuli who was recently elected for a second term in office in what stood out to be ‘sham elections’ opened the country in June at a time when most African countries were still on lockdown.
Magufuli in one of his addresses in April declared Tanzania safe from the virus saying that prayers and deep faith of his people made it possible to be COVID-free.
He said that he will not lock down the country or enforce stringent COVID-19 rules like was the case with Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania at the time.
“I want to thank Tanzanians of all faiths. We have been praying and fasting for God to save us from the pandemic that has afflicted the world. And God has answered us. I believe, and I’m certain, that many Tanzanians believe that the coronavirus disease has been eliminated by God,” President Magufuli told worshippers in Dodoma.
In April, Magufuli directed government agencies dealing with the issue to stop publishing statistics related to the virus.
Also read: American Tourists Shun Kenya, Head To Tanzania
However, the recent elections in Tanzania may have fueled the spread of the virus thereby, informing CDC warning to Americans planning to visit the East African country for the festive season when tourism is at its peak.
The latest pronouncement by CDC is a major blow to Tanzania travel and tourism industry as Americans had already started warming up to it and shunning Kenya which was previously a top destination for American tourists.
They cited stringent COVID-19 protocols in Kenya among the reasons why they chose Tanzania over Kenya. A dusk to dawn curfew in Kenyan in effect until January 2021is also a big turn off for US travellers seeking to have a good time in Kenya.
There were massive cancellations from Americans seeking to travel to Kenya since October when the number of cases rose drastically, so are the death cases recorded daily. Currently, the uncertainty of cessation of movement in major cities continues to hurt hoteliers who decry low bookings.
Also read:Rekindle Your Travel Experience At Tanzania’s South Beach Resort
The Kenyan Ministry Of Health has warned that the country is battling the second wave of coronavirus which is more lethal than the first wave.
According to recent data by Tourism Research Institute (TRI), the US trails Tanzania at number three which is a huge jump from August when Tanzania did not make it to the list of top 30 visitors to Kenya.
“Tanzania leads with 4, 309 followed by Uganda (3, 812) and US (3, 458),” TRI data indicated.
