Tanzania President Samia Suluhu Breaks Tradition, Wears Facemask in Public for the First Time

Tanzania President Samia Suluhu was spotted wearing a mask during her first official foreign visit to Uganda on Sunday.

Her visit to Uganda was aimed at finalizing the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) Tripartite project agreement and strengthening bilateral ties between the two nations.

Photos shared by her Ugandan counterpart Yoweri Museveni on his social media pages showed Suluhu wearing a facemask during their meeting at State House, Entebbe.

Suluhu and her delegation broke tradition by donning masks whose use had been banned in Tanzania by her predecessor President John Pombe Magufuli, who downplayed the existence of COVID-19 until his death last month.

She appears to be taking a scientific approach to combat the COVID-19 pandemic unlike Magufuli, who rooted for prayers, steam therapy, and other traditional methods to tame the disease.

Last week, Suluhu announced she will form a technical committee to examine the state of COVID-19 in the country and advise the government on how to respond to the pandemic. She noted that her government needed to assess the country’s COVID-19 situation before imposing any measures.

“The experts will report on the severity of the virus. As a country, we cannot just isolate ourselves like an island without conducting our own research into the matter,” she said.