Zanzibar has suspended all direct flights from Italy as precaution measure to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
Minister of health, Hamad Rashid Muhammad made the announcement on Friday, 6 March 2020.
Accord to Muhammad, the decision has been made to ensure that the semi-autonomous region of Tanzania remains safe from the deadly virus that has affected most parts of the world with nearly 93, 000 registered cases and over 2984 deaths across the globe.
According to BBC reports, Italy has registered about 197 deaths due to the virus with 49 deaths within 24 hours with about 4,600 reported cases.
The minister added that all trivial gatherings are banned in the region quoting moonlight party that attracts people from across the world as one vivid example.
Minister of health, Hamad Rashid Muhammad has also chastised promiscuous rumors on the virus that is triggering panic among members of the public.
As reported by Daily news, the minister has assured the general population that the region is free from the virus in mean time although the risk of getting the virus are increasing each day due to the high number of visitors that the region receives each day from nearly all parts of the world.
Commenting on the matter, the director of preventive services in the ministry, Dr Fadhil Abdallah said Tanzania is equipped in preparation for the virus with a set laboratory in Dar es salaam for secondary testing.
