Dilemma for visitors over mandatory isolation directives in Tanzania

Dar es Salaam. Overwhelming numbers of arrivals and indiscipline have been blamed for the mess that is the quarantine plans for passengers arriving from abroad.

Passengers who arrived in the country have blamed authorities for their choice of hotels in the commercial capital, Dar es Salaam, most claim that the hotels are far out of their reach.

“The hotels that have been designated for passengers include Peacock Hotel, Rungwe Hotel, Dar Palace and Southern Sun and as you can see we have been brought here with government or health officials,” one passenger could be heard saying .

She added: For example the cheapest room here at Peacock is at $55 which is way out of my reach.

And just like her, many of the arrivals looked stranded and confused with their relatives following up but keeping a safe distance.

With the government expecting at hundreds of international passengers, the selected hotels for self-quarantine had not anticipated such numbers.

The hotels where the numbers were arriving did not show any signs of knowledge of the new arrivals something that the passengers say put the lives of those who are there at risk should there be any infected persons among them.

The health minister Ummy Mwalimu later in a tweet said they had noted their concerns and directed the authorities to work closely with Regional Commissioners to identify affordable hotels that could house the returning Tanzanians.

But apart from the hotel prices, there has also been some reported cases of indiscipline with some of the arrivals escaping from the quarantine back to normal life.

According to President Magufuli’s announcement on Sunday, Tanzania unlike her neighbours has not banned any international flights, however, those arriving have to self-isolate themselves at their own costs for 14 days.

By Wednesday March 25, Tanzania’s Covid-19 cases remained at 12 with the first patient in Arusha having healed from the infection.

All the 12 cases were imported except one who got infected locally as a result bring a new dimension pandemic in Tanzania.

.