Zanzibar’s First Vice-President, Seif Sharif Hamad, and his wife have tested positive for Covid-19, ACT-Wazalendo’s Secretary-General Ado Shaibu said in a statement.
Hamad’s aides also contracted the virus, ACT Wazalendo added.
The statement said the veteran politician and his aides have been admitted at Mnazi Mmoja Hospital in Zanzibar since Friday.
“Therefore, since Friday evening, Maalim Seif was admitted at Mnazi Mmoja Hospital, Unguja, Zanzibar, where he remains under close medical supervision. We would like to take this opportunity to inform the public that Maalim Seif and his wife are progressing well. His family has been in communication with him,” reads the statement.
“ACT Wazalendo we ask our party members, Zanzibaris and all Tanzanians in general to pray for Maalim Seif during this period in which he has been admitted to recover quickly to continuewith his duties. We also reiterate our call for all Tanzanians to take steps to protect themselves against this disease”.
Hamad was hospitalised and his condition has been said to be improving.
“It is true I am at Mnazi Mmoja Hospital where I am being treated of Covid-19 and my wife has been isolated at home,” Hamad confirmed.
Hamad becomes the first person to declare his Covid-19 status in Tanzania since April 29, 2020.
The opposition party urged Tanzanians to follow public health guidelines to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
The news comes days after Tanzania’s President John Magufuli warned health officials against acquiring Covid-19 vaccines, saying – without giving evidence – that they could harm the population.
The country stopped publishing official data about coronavirus in June last year after President Magufuli declared Tanzania “coronavirus free.”