ABSTRACT
The outbreak of the unprecedented Corona Virus Disease in the end of 2019 has raised concerns for the effectiveness of preparedness and response programs to pandemics. The novel disease went viral sending waves of terror worldwide, disrupting economic and medical plans, defying the World Health Organization predictions, and frustrating the traditional methods of emergence and rapid response to crisis. Against this backdrop of overarched protection systems, various nations emerged with unusual alternative response strategies for protection of citizens and management of COVID-19.
One such country is Tanzania which incorporated religion as a major tool in its own national guidelines to counteract both the spread of the disease and to mitigate the social and psychological effects brought by the traumatic COVID-19. In this section the role religion has played to help Tanzania implement its strategies for intervention and management of COVID-19 is explained. Concerted efforts have been made to answer the question how effective is religion in combating the spread of epidemics? This question is answered by, first, referring to the theory of Governmentality and, second, describing various experiences of solidarity between religious leaders, religious organizations and the government of Tanzania in addressing the devastating effects of COVID-19.
