Mr Kabwe said citizens needed to be told of the true picture about the pandemic. The country confirmed 30 new cases on Wednesday, pushing the total to 284, including 10 deaths.

On Wednesday, Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa urged Tanzanians to trust the government and its medical experts in the fight against coronavirus.

He said the government had to assess every measure before imposing stricter rules to curb the spread of the virus.

Religious gatherings are still allowed in the country and President John Magufuli is on record as saying that coronavrus cannot survive in the body of Christ, encouraging people to pray and attend church.

The president has ruled out a lockdown in the commercial capital, Dar es Salaam, where most of the positive cases are, Reuters news agency reports.

He said it would hurt the economy as Dar es Salaam is a port city that brings in a lot of revenue.

On Wednesday, Mr Magufuli asked creditors to cancel debts owed by African countries to enable them use their savings to fight coronavirus.