Magufuli: I Will Not Impose A Curfew Like Kenya, ‘Corona Haitembei Usiku’

Tanzanian President John Pombe Magufuli has hit out on his Kenyan counterpart Uhuru Kenyatta over his directive to impose a dusk to dawn curfew.

In a message that was shared by award-winning blogger and radio presenter at Tanzania’s Clouds Media Group, Millard Ayo, President Magufuli reiterated that he was not going to impose a lockdown and went to cryptically scold his Kenyan counterpart for imposing a curfew.

President Magufuli said a dusk to dawn curfew is not a wise move adding that Covid-19 does not spread at night.

“Ugonjwa huu wa corona ni vita kama vita nyingine, wakati unaanza nilisema siwezi kuruhusu lockdown, imagine unafungiwa ndani hupati hata nafasi ya kuonana na Mkeo?, unafungiwa ndani eti usitembee usiku kana kwamba corona inatembea usiku tu, nikasema hapana” said Magufuli.

Loosely translated: This Covid-19 pandemic is a battle like any other, when it was first reported I said I will not lock down the country. Imagine you are being locked inside that you don’t even get the chance to meet your wife? You are locked inside so that you don’t walk at night as if Corona is being spread at night, I said no.

The defiant Magufuli also hinted that he is going to open schools and sporting activities if things unfold the same way in this coming week.

“Kwa hali hii, kama wiki tunayoianza kesho itaendelea hivi nimepanga kufungua vyuo ili Wanafunzi wetu waendelee kusoma, lakini nimepanga pia kuruhusu michezo iendelee kwasababu michezo ni sehemu ya Burudani, maisha lazima yaendelee,” added the Tanzanian President.

Translated as: “In the current situation, if the coming week will continue this way, I am planning open schools so that our students can continue studying, I have also planned to give way for sporting activities to continue because sporting is part of entertainment and life must continue.”

The remarks by President Magufuli comes a day after President Uhuru imposed cessation of movement between the Kenyan-Tanzanian and Kenya-Somalian borders.