Condemnation as coughing Tanzanian minister gives news conference

Video of Finance Minister Philip Mpango, maskless and in a coughing fit, has been widely condemned.

Days after President John Mafuguli finally admitted Tanzania has a coronavirus problem, after months of apparent denial and increasing warnings of a resurgence in infections, the sight of the country’s finance minister coughing and gasping during a news conference to defend the state of his health has left many in shock. Finance Minister Philip Mpango, who did not reveal what he was suffering from, spoke to about 10 reporters on Tuesday at a hospital in the capital, Dodoma, after rumours that he had died of COVID-19. A recent spate of deaths attributed to “pneumonia” and “respiratory challenges” has struck both government officials and members of the public. Mpango, who was not wearing a mask, was flanked by a doctor and a hospital director – both also maskless. Behind him stood doctors and nurses who were wearing masks.