Update August 2021: We are happy to announce that vaccination campaigns have started in Arusha! Locals over the age of 50 and medical staff can get their free vaccines now.
No matter where you look in the world, Covid 19 is still ubiquitous and accompanies most of us in our everyday lives. We are repeatedly asked about the situation in Tanzania and whether a volunteer or internship stay is even possible. We wrote an article on the coronavirus situation at the end of last year, but a few things have changed since then.
1. What has happened since December
Former Tanzanian President John Magufuli was most recently known for the fact that, as a corona denier, he did not submit official figures to the WHO, did not introduce any measures to limit the virus and specifically called on his people to pray instead of keeping distance. In March this year Magufuli died suddenly and since then the Vice President Samia Suluhu Hassan (the first female president of an East African country) has taken office.
At a press conference in April, Hassan already announced a new course for the near future: She wants to send numbers to the WHO, order vaccine for the country and urged citizens to be careful with the virus.
2. Travel Regulations and Restrictions
At the beginning of May, Hassan’s government published a document with 15 measures that all travelers must follow from now on. The most important for travellers:
– Entry from the high-risk area / virus mutation area India is currently not possible
– All travelers must fill out a form with health questions 24 hours before entering Tanzania (afyamsafiri.moh.go.tz)
– A negative PCR test that is not older than 72 hours must be presented for entry
– Upon entry, every traveler must have their health checked (fever measurement, corona rapid test at their own expense)
All rules can be found in the document ‘Travel Advisory No.7 of 4th May, 2021’ on the Tanzanian Republic website.
Within the country you can travel freely and a mask is only required in hospitals, some banks and at the airport.
Some airlines or destination countries require a PCR test for departure. This can be carried out in the test centers that have been set up all over the country. You get the result by email and can easily print it out in a copy shop for little money.
The rapid test that you have to do about four hours before departure for flights with KLM, for example, can be done at international airports without any problems.
3. Our hostel and our projects
All of our projects are open and welcome every single volunteer.
In the hostel we also receive guests normally and pay special attention to the disinfection of all contact surfaces so that everyone can feel safe with us. If you prefer to keep a lot of distance and, for example, prefer to eat outside instead of at the communal table, talk to us, we will be happy to make that possible.
Every volunteer can take a hand-made cloth mask free of charge upon arrival, and there is a hand-washing station in front of the house.
Restaurants, bars, museums and markets across the country are also open without restrictions.
We have learned a lot about dealing with Covid in Tanzania in the last few months and are prepared for all situations. So if you have any concerns about your stay, please do not hesitate to contact us, we will find a solution together!