Tanzania to close schools over coronavirus

Tanzania has announced the closure of all schools as part of measures to curb the spread of coronavirus in the East African nation.

They will be shut from Wednesday for 30 days, Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa said.

All public gatherings, including sports events, were also to be suspended, he said.

The measures come a day after a 46-year-old Tanzanian, who arrived in the country on Sunday from Belgium, tested positive for Covid-19.

Several individuals who came into contact with the first patient had been tracked down and quarantined, Mr Majaliwa said.

A search for others was ongoing, he said.

The country was well prepared to manage Covid-19 if it continued to spread in the country, he added.